National Advocacy Center Reflections for Lent
Justice using the Good Shepherd People’s 2008 Priorities
“We are now offered a new stream of graces, of interior life, of holiness:
it is
Lent. Prepare to spend
it well.” St. M. Euphrasia
Ash Wednesday, February 6th: A Day
of Fasting and Prayer
Suggested Readings: Joel 2:12-16, 2 Cor
5:20-6:2, Mt 6:1-6,
16-18
Reflection: “Rend your hearts, not your garments, and return to the Lord, your God. For
gracious and merciful is God, slow to anger, rich in kindness, and relenting in punishment” (Joel 2:13).
While the focus of Ash Wednesday can seem to be on external actions, we know from the readings that the intention is
for internal reflection. Today we have the courage to scrutinize our hearts, not just our actions, in order
to know how we can love God more fully. Our courage flows from the knowledge that God is Mercy and welcomes
our efforts. How am I a co-creator of a more just and loving
world, both in my actions and in my heart?
Prayer: “MY LORD GOD, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I
cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think that I am following Your
will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please You does in fact please You.
And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing. I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know
that if I do this You will lead me by the right road though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust You always
though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for You are ever with me, and You will never leave
me to face my perils alone.” - Thomas Merton, "Thoughts in Solitude"
1st
Sunday of Lent, February 10th : Poverty and Homelessness
Suggested
Readings: Gn 2:7-9;
3:1-7, Rom 5:12-19, Mt 4:1-11
Reflection: “The world will never be the dwelling place of peace till peace has found a home in
the heart of each and every person, till every person preserves in himself the order ordained by God to be preserved” (Pacem in Terris). As we reflect on Jesus being tempted
in the desert, we ask of ourselves: Am I tempted by comfort, glory, power? What temptation takes
hold of my heart and allows me to pretend I can do nothing to address the poverty and homelessness of my fellow sisters and
brothers?
A
Buddhist Prayer: “Evoking the presence of the great compassion, let us fill our hearts with our own compassion
- towards ourselves and towards all living beings. Let us pray that all living beings realize that they
are all brothers and sisters, all nourished from the same source of life.”
2nd Sunday of Lent, February 17th
: Ecological Justice
Suggested Readings: Gn 12:1-4a, 2 Tm 1:8b-10, Mt 17:1-9
Reflection: “Lord, make this world last as long as possible.”
This is the prayer of an 11 year old Indian boy on hearing of Sino-Indian border fighting. This week we reflect on the importance of caring for creation. God
entrusted creation to us as human beings: how are we doing as stewards? What
is my ecological footprint? How can I use this time during Lent to make important and lasting changes to
my lifestyle in order to benefit the care of creation?
A Hindu Prayer: Oh God, lead us from the unreal to the Real. Oh God, lead us from darkness to light. Oh God, lead
us from death to immortality. Shanti (Peace), Shanti, Shanti unto all. Oh Lord God almighty, may there be peace in celestial
regions. May there be peace on earth. May the waters be appeasing. May herbs be wholesome, and may trees and plants bring
peace to all. May all beneficent beings bring peace to us. May thy peace itself bestow peace on all, and may that peace come
to me also.
3rd Sunday of Lent, February 24th : Immigration
Suggested Readings: Ex 17:3-7, Rom 5:1-2,
5-8, Jn 4:5-42
Reflection: Jesus breaks through social traditions to speak to not just a woman, but a Samaritan woman.
She testifies to her community that the Messiah has come, bringing many people into contact with Jesus.
Do we follow Jesus’ behavior by engaging those who do not come from our land? In the hostile environment of anti-immigrant rhetoric, do I have the courage to speak about the dignity
of all persons, especially females? Do I welcome the stranger?
Prayer: “May Christ inflame the desires
of all people to break through the barriers which divide them, to strengthen the bonds of mutual love, to learn to understand
one another and to pardon those who have done them wrong. Through his power and inspiration, may all peoples welcome each
other into their hearts as brothers and sisters, and may the peace they long for ever flower and ever reign among them”
(Pacem in Terris).
4th Sunday of Lent, March 2nd
: Mental and Physical Health
Suggested Readings: 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7,
10-13a, Eph 5:8-14, Jn 9:1-41
Reflection: This week we hear Jesus’ message that those who
are physically and mentally ill are not paying for their own sins or anyone else’s for that matter! Jesus says the works
of God are made visible through these people. How can I strive
to improve my treatment of those who are physically and/or mentally ill? Do I pay special attention to
God in them and working through them?
Prayer: Lord,
help us not to be blind to the suffering of those who are in physical pain. During this week, help
me to open my eyes to the mental illnesses of those around me and to treat them as Jesus would.
5th Sunday of
Lent, March 9th : Education
Suggested Readings: Ez 37:12-14, Rm 8:8-11, Jn 11:1-45
Reflection: This week we reflect on education
as an important piece of a just world. We have the right to be educated and the duty to educate others.
Is every child in the world receiving an education?
How can I contribute to the education of God’s children?
Prayer: God
who is Wisdom, help me to remember to fight for the right to be informed for every member of society, especially those who
do not have their own voice in places of power. I wish to use my freedom, granted to me by my education,
to ensure that others receive the same.
Palm Sunday, March 16th : Peace
Suggested
Readings: Is 50:4-7, Phil 2:6-11, Mt 26:14--27:66
or Mt 27:11-54
Reflection: Pope
John Paul II reflected on Blessed John XXIII’s Four Pillars of Peace:
- Truth will build peace
if every individual sincerely acknowledges not only his/her rights, but also his/her own duties towards others.
- Justice will build peace
if in practice everyone respects the rights of others and actually fulfils his/her duties towards them.
- Love will build peace
if people feel the needs of others as their own and share what they have with others.
- Freedom will build peace and make it thrive
if, in the choice of the means to that end, people act according to reason and assume responsibility for their own actions.
Prayer: “Let us pray then, with all
fervour for this peace which our Divine redeemer came to bring us. May He banish from the souls of all people whatever might
endanger peace. May He transform all people into witnesses of truth, justice and brotherly love. May He illumine with His
light the minds of rulers, so that, besides caring for the proper material welfare of their peoples, they may also guarantee
them the fairest gift of peace” (Pacem in Terris).
Good
Friday, March 21st : Justice for Women
Suggested Readings: Isaiah 52:13--53:12, Hebrews 4:14-16; 5:7-9, John 18:1--19:42
Reflection: In this final phase of Lent as we painfully remember the salvific death of Jesus, we are reminded
of His message, the Good News which conquered even death: love. Who in our society is in most need of our
love? Which group of people is the most underrepresented, the most abused, the least cared for?
Why are domestic violence and human trafficking so prevalent worldwide? How am I being called as this Holy
Week comes to a close to bring justice and love to the women in my life? All women are part of my global
family; how can I make each woman’s life more like the life Jesus died to give us?
A Sikh Prayer:
By the grace of God's name
May humanity find itself lifted higher and higher.
In thy dispensation O Lord
Let there be good in all humanity.
