Readings: Genesis 1, 9-31; Responsorial Psalm 136, Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. Acts 2, 42-47. Matthew 18, 1-4. Special for Reconciliation Service.
The Third Sunday in Lent.
Today’s liturgy will be a bit different from our normal Sunday Liturgy. I had mentioned several weeks ago, when we were discussing the Sacrament of Penance or Confession that I wanted to have us do a Communal Penance Service during Lent. The more I thought about it and planned it the less sense it made to me. And so today’s liturgy.
I want to begin with an acknowledgement that each one of us has our own personal relationship with God, and I want to respect that as much as possible. So the ideas, which I am sharing with you today, take them or leave them, they certainly are not “official teaching” but they are the result of much thought and prayer on my part.
There is an interesting story about the substitute teacher who was called to fill in for most of the year for one of the teachers who would be out for an extended time. On her first day in class the substitute was given a list of the pupils in her class. She worked hard with the class all year and at year end with the exam results came out the principal was amazed with results. When she told the substitute of her surprise, the substitute was surprised. But they were a very bright class with high IQ. I saw that the first day on the class roster you gave me, she responded. That class was our worst class in the school, she was told, and those numbers were their locker numbers!!
There is a whole lot of truth for me in that story and I want to build on that in today’s Liturgy. Traditionally we have been told that we are a sinful people. Born with original sin, and we have hardly stopped sinning since. Most of our prayers reconfirm this approach.. I would like our Liturgy today to be one where we try to reconcile ourselves to a different point of view. And it is going to feel perhaps strange at first, but I would ask that we give it a try.
So instead of a Penitential Rite where normally we reflect on our sins, I would like to invite you to reflect on maybe occasions over the past week when we missed opportunities to do good for someone.
Opening Prayer:
I arise today
In the name of Silence, Womb of the Word,
In the name of Stillness, home of Belonging,
In the name of Solitude, of the Soul and the Earth
I arise today
Blessed by all things, wings of breath,
Delight of eyes, wonder of whisper,
Intimacy of touch, Eternity of Soul,
Urgency of thought,
Miracle of health, Embrace of God.
May we live this day
Compassionate of heart
Clear in word, Gracious in awareness,
Courageous in thought, Generous in love.
To Bless the Space Between Us
John O’Donohue
Intro to the Readings.
The readings today I have chosen because they give us reason to pause, at this time in Lent, and reflect on our goodness, our innocence and not on our sinfulness.
Homily
I mostly want you to spend a little quiet time reflecting in a way on whether we are better off being told we are good, or whether we are better off being told we are not good, namely sinful. For most of us, we grew up being told we were born with Original Sin, and that we from about the age of seven needed to go to confession all the time, because we were sinful. Like the kids in the school, if someone believes we are smart, we will be smart, likewise if we can believe we are good, then goodness will follow. I would like us to recapture our childhood innocence. How else are we to become like little children?
Prayer after Communion
Humble God, risen with us now in the fragile miracles of human life. We glimpse your glory now, in the love, laughter and beauty we share with one another, in the depth of humanity, as we respond to the needs and sufferings of our world.
Final Blessing.
Picture 1: Tony Beginning Mass
Picture 2: Sacrament of the sick
Picture 3: Offertory with Cliff & John
Picture 4: Communion helpers Margie, Jackie, Denni, Nancy, Sandra, Rob, Patricia, & John
Picture 5: Nina
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