Jesus was led by
the Spirit into the wilderness
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
When he calls me, I will answer; I will rescue him and give him honour. Long
life and contentment will be his (Ps 90:15-16).
INTRODUCTION
Our first parents were tempted and they sinned by disobeying the word of God.
Jesus, the new Adam too was tempted but he could overcome those tempta-tions by
the power of prayer and penance. The season of Lent is a time for a renewal of
life and relationship with Christ. It is a time to let go off those desires and
deviations which have en-slaved us, and to experience the joy and the freedom in
Christ.
PENITENTIAL RITE
Cel: Dear brothers and sisters, this Eucharistic sacrifice is the celebration of
our reconciliation and renewal of our friendship with God. Let us prepare by
asking pardon for our infidelity and lack of love. (Pause)
Lord, we live not on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God. Lord, have mercy.
Lord, you bring peace and forgive-ness in our brokenness and shattered
relationships. Christ, have mercy.
Lord, you lead us to the new and everlasting covenant of love and life with you.
Lord, have mercy.
OPENING PRAYER
Let us pray. Father, through our observance of Lent, help us to understand the
meaning of your Son’s death and resurrection, and teach us to reflect it in our
lives. Grant this...
FIRST READING
(This reading brings home to us the message how helpless and hopeless human
beings become when they seek their own glory and prestige.)
A reading from the Book of Genesis (2:7-9; 3:1-7)
The Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils
the breath of life; and man became a living being. And the Lord God planted a
garden in Eden, in the east; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And
out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the
sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God
had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of
the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the
trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die’.”
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. For God knows that when
you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good
and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he
ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and
they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
This is the Word of the Lord
PSALM (50)
Response : Have mercy on us, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion, blot out my
offence. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin.
My offences truly I know them; my sin is always before me. Against you, you
alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done.
A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast
me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your holy spirit.
Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of favour sustain me. O Lord,
open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise.
SECOND READING
(St Paul states that sin and death came to us through the first Adam and the
second Adam redeemed us once and for all.)
A reading from the Letter of St Paul to the Romans (5:12,17-19)
Sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, and so death
spread to all men because all men sinned. If, because of one man’s tres-pass,
death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the
abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the
one man Jesus Christ. Then as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all
men, so one man’s act of righteous-ness leads to acquittal and life for all men.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s
obedience many will be made righteous.
This is the Word of the Lord
ACCLAMATION (Mt 4:4b)
Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth
of God.
GOSPEL
(Jesus emerges victorious from the temptations because he knew well that his
mission was to do his Father’s will in suffering and submission.)
A reading from the Holy Gospel according to St Matthew (4:1-11)
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.
And he fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was hungry. And the
tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones
to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live
by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’.” Then
the devil took him to the holy city, and set him on the pinnacle of the temple,
and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is
written, ‘He will give his angels charge of you’, and ‘On their hands they will
bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone’.”
Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your
God’.” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain, and showed him all the
kingdoms of the world and the glory of them; and he said to him, “All these I
will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him,
“Begone, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him
only shall you serve’.” Then the devil left him, and behold, angels came and
ministered to him.
This is the Gospel of the Lord
I believe in God, / the Father Almighty, / Creator of heaven and earth. / I
believe in Jesus Christ, / his only Son, our Lord. / He was conceived by the
power of the Holy Spirit / and born of the Virgin Mary. /He suffered under
Pontius Pilate, /was crucified, died, and was buried. /He descended to the dead.
/ On the third day he rose again. / He ascended into Heaven, / and is seated at
the right hand of the Father. / He will come again to judge the living and the
dead. / I believe in the Holy Spirit, /the Holy Catholic Church, / the communion
of saints, / the forgive-ness of sins, / the resurrection of the body, / and the
life everlasting. / Amen.
PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL
Cel: My dear brothers and sisters, as we have begun our Lenten journey we turn
with confidence to God the Father and ask his help in preparing for a worthy
celebration of Easter, by saying, Lord, hear our prayer.
Response : Lord, hear our prayer.
1. That our Holy Father, bishops, priests and the religious may be stirred to
lead all people to commit themselves to spread the Good News of Christ. Let us
pray to the Lord
2. That all who are experiencing temptations and are overcome by various
difficulties of life may be guided and strengthened by the grace and power of
Jesus.
3. That all of us may find this season of Lent as a time of transformation, and
re-examine the choices we have made, the choices we are making and then
courageously journey to Jerusalem with Jesus.
4. That children all over the world may be cared, loved, protected and supported
as we celebrate the Holy Childhood Day through our kindness and generosity.
(Pray for personal/local needs)
Cel: Ever faithful Father, you hear the prayers of those who turn to you in
faith and trust. Hear our prayers that our Lenten journey may bring us closer to
you and to each other. We ask this …
PRAYER OVER THE GIFTS
Lord, make us worthy to bring you these gifts. May this sacrifice help to change
our lives. We ask this...
PREFACE (P 12)
Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to
give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.
His fast of forty days makes this a holy season of self-denial. By rejecting the
devil’s temptations he has taught us to rid ourselves of the hidden corruption
of evil, and so to share his paschal meal in purity of heart, until we come to
its fulfillment in the promised land of heaven.
Now we join the angels and the saints as they sing their unending hymn of
praise:
All : Holy, holy, holy...
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of
God (Mt 4:4).
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
Father, you increase our faith and hope, you deepen our love in this communion.
Help us to live by your words and to seek Christ, our bread of life, who is Lord
for ever and ever.
LITURGY AND LIFE
It certainly is a salutary thing to reflect on sin and temptations at the
beginning of Lent since this season is all about conversion, repentance, penance
and reconciliation. It’s a time to think about the many ways we fail to do what
God asks us to do.
The story of Adam and Eve can still hit a raw nerve with us today. The serpent
told them they would be like God. Isn’t trying to be like God or playing God
that life is so much about today? How often do we manipulate or try to control
others? How often do we judge as though we, like God, could know what is in
people’s hearts? At the same time, modern society seems to hold moral teachings
in a very low regard. And if we look closely at the temptations of Jesus we can
find their match today too. Many burn incense at the altar of drugs, sex,
alcohol and other addictions. Even the Church has succumbed in the past and
perhaps still does give in to the temptation to use wealth and power and
prestige to further the kingdom of God.
Jesus in our Gospel today shows us how to deal with temptation quickly and
effectively. He also lets us know that he will not use worldly power and wealth
to establish the kingdom of God. This is what the temptations were all about.
You’re hungry? Well then, change these stones to bread. You want people to pay
attention to you? Well then, dive down like a dove from this temple pinnacle.
You want to rule the world? Well then, just worship me and you’ve got it made!
No, Jesus responds, you’ve got it all wrong. It’s not only bread that gives
life. It’s the word of God. It’s not by spectacular super acts that I reveal
myself. Look for me among the lowly, the powerless, and among the crucified.
It’s not by political power that my kingdom will be established. To use worldly
power is to worship false gods.
Jesus taught us that the kingdom of God is won by love and the best expression
of that love is seen on the cross – a crucified love.
What kind of love is that? First of all, it’s the love that carried Jesus to the
cross; the love that can turn the other cheek; the love that does not sulk until
apology comes on bended knee; the love that keeps marriage alive through stress
and sickness, through dark nights, maybe even through infidelity; the love that
goes out to those who are different in caste and in colour, goes out to the
homeless and the loveless, to the gross and the grimy, to all who ail from acne
to AIDS. We have a Lenten programme in Paul’s famous hymn, “Love is patient and
kind, is not jealous or boastful..., it hopes all things, endures all things” (1
Cor. 13:4-7).
February 2008 READINGS OF THE WEEK (Psalter Week 1)
11 Mon (W/V) Our Lady of Lourdes Lv 19:1-2.11-18; Ps 18:8.9.10.15; Mt
25:31-46
12 Tue (V) Is 55:10-11; Ps 33:4-5.6-7.16-17.18-19; Mt 6:7-15
13 Wed (V) Jon 3:1-10; Ps 50:3-4.12-13.18-19; Lk 11:29-32
14 Thu (W) Sts Cyril and Methodius (M) Est 14:1.3-5.12-14; Ps
137:1-2ab.2cde-3.7c-8; Mt 7:7-12
15 Fri (V) Ez 18:21-28; Ps 129:1-2.3-4.5-7a.7bc-8; Mt 5:20-26
16 Sat (V) Dt 26:16-19; Ps 118:1-2.4-5.7-8; Mt 5:43-48
