Show gracious favor, O Lord, we pray, to the works of penance we have begun, that we may have strength to accomplish with sincerity the bodily observances we undertake. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
“Dear brothers and sisters, the “lenten” period of forty days spent by the Son of God in the desert of creation had the goal of making it once more that garden of communion with God that it was before original sin (cf. Mark 1:12-13; Isaiah 51:3). May our Lent this year be a journey along that same path, bringing the hope of Christ also to creation, so that it may be “set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Romans 8:21). Let us not allow this season of grace to pass in vain! Let us ask God to help us set out on a path of true conversion. Let us leave behind our selfishness and self-absorption, and turn to Jesus’ Pasch. Let us stand beside our brothers and sisters in need, sharing our spiritual and material goods with them. In this way, by concretely welcoming Christ’s victory over sin and death into our lives, we will also radiate its transforming power to all of creation.” ~Pope Francis, 2019 Lenten message
The whole of human history has been the story of dour combat with the powers of evil, stretching, so our Lord tells us*, from the very dawn of history until the last day. Finding ourselves in the midst of the battlefield we must struggle to do what is right, and it is at great cost to ourselves, and aided by God’s grace, that we succeed in achieving our own inner integrity.**
*Cf. Matt. 24:13; 13:24-30 and 36-43.** Cf. Guadium Et Spes, The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, #37.2
Almighty God and Father, as we prepare for our Lenten sojourn in memory of Your Son, Who prayed and fasted for forty days in the desert out of obedience to the Spirit and out of love for us, grant, we pray, strength, courage and wisdom to be obedient to the same Spirit throughout our desert journey. That giving ourselves to prayer, fasting and acts of charity in imitation of Jesus, we may arrive at the celebration of Easter with hearts and minds eager to celebrate the Resurrection. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Who loves and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
“The Chair of Saint Peter confirms that “the universal Church, which in this world is shaken by various temptations that come upon it like torrents of rain, floods, and tempests, does not fail because it is founded upon a rock, from which Peter received his name…for the Rock was Christ (1 Cor 10:4) and on this foundation was Peter himself also built.” ~Saint Augustine
Grant, we pray, almighty God, that no tempests may disturb us, for you have set us fast on the rock of the Apostle Peter’s confession of faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
“What are we trying to do? We are trying to get to heaven, all of us. We are trying to lead a good life. We are trying to talk about, and write about, the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, and the social principles of the church. It is most astounding – the things that happen when you start trying to live this way.” ~Dorothy Day
Impart to us, O Lord, in kindness the filial devotion with which the holy brothers venerated so devoutly the Mother of God and led your people to yourself. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
It is good for us that we sometimes have sorrows and adversities, for they often make us lay to heart that we are only strangers and sojourners, and may not put our trust in any worldly thing. It is good that we sometimes endure contradictions, and are hardly and unfairly judged, when we do and mean what is good. For these things help us to be humble and shield us from vainglory. For then we seek more earnestly the witness of God, when men speak evil of us falsely, and give us no credit for good. ~Thomas à Kempis
Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius were your instruments, Lord, in bringing the light of the gospel to the Slavonic peoples.May we take your word into our hearts and be at one in professing the true faith.Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
“We are here to help Christ blindly. We must know Him by faith, not by vision. We must help Him not only in those who seem to be Christlike, but more in those in whom Christ is hidden; in the most unlikely people, in those whom the world condemns. It is in them that Christ, indwelling man, suffers most; it is in them that He cannot carry His cross without the help of other men.” ~Caryll Houselander