Open Our Hearts

Lenten Reflections YEAR C

Open Our Hearts Sister Donna L. Ciangio, OP Father Thomas B. Iwanowski

Lenten Reflections YEAR C

Sister Donna L. Ciangio, OP Father Thomas B. Iwanowski

Scripture texts used in this work are taken from The New American Bible copyright © 1991, 1986, and 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, DC, and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All rights reserved. No part of The New American Bible may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.

© 2021 RENEW International All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever, except in the case of reprints in the context of reviews, without written permission from RENEW International.

Cover and interior pages designed by Kathrine Kuo ISBN: 978-1-62063-187-4 Printed and bound in the United States of America.

CONTENTS Welcome 4 Using This Book Part I: Weekly Small-Group Sessions

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Week One: Led by the Spirit

11

Week Two: Shining Divinely

17

Week Three: Investing in God

22

Week Four: Love Unconditionally

28

Week Five: Look Beyond

34

Week Six: Faithful to the Mission

40

Part II: Weekday Reflections

49

Ash Wednesday

50

Thursday after Ash Wednesday

51

Friday after Ash Wednesday

51

Saturday after Ash Wednesday

51

First Week of Lent

52

Second Week of Lent

54

Third Week of Lent

56

Fourth Week of Lent

58

Fifth Week of Lent

60

Holy Week

62

The Easter Triduum

63

Week One: Led by the Spirit

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READINGS FOR THE FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT ◗ Deuteronomy 26:4–10 ◗ Romans 10:8–13 ◗ Luke 4:1–13

SETTING THE ENVIRONMENT On a table in the center of your group, covered with a Lenten (purple) colored cloth, place a crucifix, a Bible, and a lighted candle.

Begin the session by reverently making the sign of the cross together.

GATHERING PRAYER Pray together: Be with us, O God, as we begin our Lenten journey.

Strengthen us as we walk the way from sin to the font of living water and recommit ourselves to our baptismal promises.

We ask this in the name of Jesus, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever.

Amen.

CONNECTING WITH LIFE The facilitator or another member of the group reads aloud the following introduction then initiates the discussion of the questions that follow it.

The coronavirus pandemic made all of us much more health conscious. We learned the importance of doing what we can to stay healthy and to avoid being infected with COVID-19 or any other transmittable threat to our well-being.

We learned the importance of avoiding close physical contact with people who are sick, of frequently washing our hands, of sanitizing surfaces, of limiting our exposure to large gatherings of people, and of wearing face coverings when in close contact with persons who might be ill.

OPEN OUR HEARTS

In addition, we learned how to personally assess our health. We became more aware of symptoms that might indicate we are fighting an infection such as a cough, body aches, fatigue, or a loss of taste.

We also learned to employ certain devices that help us evaluate our health. For example, we use thermometers to test for fever, pulse oximeters to check our heart rate and blood oxygen levels, pressure monitors to determine our blood pressure, and scales to reveal fluctuations in weight. By doing those things and using those devices, we get an idea of the state of our physical health.

REFLECTING ON MY LIFE ◗ What do I do to try to stay healthy that I might not have been doing before the pandemic? ◗ What is the greatest challenge I face when it comes to improving my physical health?

LISTENING TO THE WORD Take a quiet moment to say a prayer such as, “O Lord, be in our minds, in our hearts, and on our lips that we might listen fully to your Word.”

A member of the group then reads aloud the Gospel for the First Sunday of Lent, using the Bible from the table in the center of the group.

Gospel Reading: Luke 4:1–13 Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over, he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’”

Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and their glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: ‘You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.’”

Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: 12

WEEK ONE: LED BY THE SPIRIT

‘He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you,’ and: ‘With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.’”

Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, ‘You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.’” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

APPRECIATING THE WORD After a moment of silent reflection, another member of the group reads the following commentary.

There are ways for us to evaluate our physical well-being.

Checking on our spiritual health is not so easy. There are no thermometers that can reveal if we have a warm or cold heart for God. No pulse oximeters that can tell us the level of holiness in our lives. No pressure monitors that can indicate how much influence evil is exerting on our decisions. No scales that can tell us if we are weighed down by selfishness and sin.

Checking the status of our spiritual health requires that we make a personal examination of our lives. This season of Lent, which began Ash Wednesday, is the time in the Church’s calendar for such a spiritual wellness exam.

We often associate Lent with doing penance, giving up certain foods or activities, saying extra prayers, and so on. Those are certainly wonderful practices, but Lent should also be a time for reflection, a time for us to take a good look at our lives.

When, as Luke tells us, Jesus “was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days,” it was not to do penance. Jesus was without sin. In the desert, Jesus reflected on his coming ministry and he rejected every temptation from the devil to use his power for his own benefit or to prove himself to the devil. Those forty days were a time of prayer and reflection.

Our forty days in the desert should also be a time for such reflection, a time for us to assess the state of our spiritual health.

During the coronavirus pandemic, we all learned the importance of checking our physical health. This Lent, may we better appreciate the importance of evaluating our spiritual health. For as Jesus tells us, only the spiritually healthy will see God. As he puts it, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”

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OPEN OUR HEARTS

REFLECTING ON MY LIFE How open am I to the Holy Spirit helping me to reflect on my life and be changed this Lent?

Take time to reflect on the following questions as a kind of spiritual health assessment: ◗ Am I closer to God this Lent than I was last year, or does God have a diminished role in my thoughts and decisions? ◗ Am I living as the child of God and faithful member of the Church that I promise to be when I renew my baptismal promises each Easter? ◗ How many minutes a week am I giving to prayer, to Mass, to the reading of scripture, and to the things of God, compared to the hours I give to streaming services, videogames, and social media? ◗ How much of my money goes to satisfying my needs and to accumulating more “stuff” that I do not need, and how much goes into the collection basket and to charitable organizations? ◗ How do the sinful and immoral behaviors endorsed by society affect my mind or influence my decisions and actions?

WRITE IT DOWN! This week, write down your goal for Lent and observe ways that you are led by the Spirit of God though various activities and choices throughout the day. Spend a few minutes jotting them down here.

REFLECTING ON MY HOME ◗ What can I do to make Lent a sacred time at home? ◗ How might I involve other family or household members in an active Lent?

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WEEK ONE: LED BY THE SPIRIT

REFLECTING ON MY PARISH ◗ In what ways does the worship life of the parish keep me spiritually healthy? ◗ What opportunities to serve others does the parish offer me?

Which do I take advantage of?

AFFECTING MY WORLD Choose a good work to do for Lent: ◗ Contact your social concerns committee and volunteer to serve in a soup kitchen or food pantry. ◗ Write to legislators or other public authorities about socialjustice issues in your community or state. ◗ Contact your local senior center or nursing home to see how you might be of service. ◗ As a group, sacrifice a cup of coffee or snack each day and donate the money to a specific charity, such as Food for the Poor or Operation Rice Bowl, to be collected and pooled at the end of Lent. ◗ View the Catholic Campaign for Human Development’s video, Poverty, at http://povertyusa.org/multimedia/web-poverty to educate yourself about poverty in the United States. ◗ Visit Catholic Charities USA (www.catholiccharitiesusa.org) and click on “Our Priorities” to learn about economic and social issues in the United States and the Church’s response. ◗ Visit the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (www.usccb.org) to learn about a wide variety of issues and what you can do to help.

SENDING FORTH Leader Let us take a moment of quiet prayer, asking the Spirit of God to lead us and guide us so that we might enter fully into this season of Lent.

Pause for silent prayer.

We pray: All Spirit of God, lead us to new life.

Leader Help us to turn away from sin and to reform our lives.

All Spirit of God, lead us to new life.

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OPEN OUR HEARTS

Leader Keep us mindful of all the ways we can serve our brothers and sisters.

All Spirit of God, lead us to new life.

Leader Let us pray for particular people and needs.

Please name specific people and any special concerns needing prayer.

All Loving God, you give us this season of Lent so that we may take time to consider our spiritual health and how we are faithfully living the promises of our baptism.

Be with us as we begin our Lenten journey.

Amen.

Leader Let us go forth to begin Lent by sharing a sign of peace.

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