In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
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Ash Wednesday
VOCATION: Jesus calls us - He calls you to follow Him, to be filled with the Holy Spirit, and become a missionary disciple....
All are welcome - the sounds of the "little children" are pleasing to our heavenly Father and "rise up" to Him like prayers - we "make room" for the little children and take our time - MP3
Gospel & Homily MP3 - PDF version
Blessing & distribution of the ashes - The Offering of ourselves with the bread & wine - the meaning of "Hosannah!" - 1st Eucharistic Prayer for Reconciliation - saying the Lord's Prayer - MP3
What are the offerings that we bring to God? What is the meaning of "HOSANNAH!" We acclaim God for his greatness and praise Him, while at the same time calling upon Him to rescue us in our distress.... "HOSANNAH!" MP3 version
We are Christians, and we are trying to follow the Lord Jesus as his disciples in the Roman Catholic Rite. There are other rites in communion with the Roman Catholic Church such as the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in Ukraine, and other unique rites in India, Lebanon, Syria and Palestine, Iraq, Hungary, Slovakia, Egypt, Eritrea, Romania, Ethiopia, and in eight other countries. We believe God can strengthen our will to make good changes in our lives.
In addition to these 23 Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, there are 17 autonomous Orthodox Churches in the world. All of these Christians observe the liturgical seasons of Lent and Easter, and also make use of ashes on Ash Wednesday to make visible their commitment to live a life of conversion in living their faith in God the Father through the Lord Jesus, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. Jesus constantly called people to turn away from sin and believe the good news.
Many people think they cannot stop doing evil or improve loving others or to forgive those who have hurt us and pray for their good. Ashes express our mortality and regret for our sins, and our intention to repent – to turn away from sin and turn back to the Lord – and to count on the Lord’s grace to help us remain faithful to Him, to help us forgive and love our neighbour.
“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”
Generally, Christians in churches of what is called the Protestant Reformation are also trying to follow the Lord Jesus as his disciples, but most of them have done away with elements traditionally observed in Catholic and Orthodox Churches. These churches have in general abandoned using ashes on Ash Wednesday to give visible expression to the commitment to live a life of repentance and conversion; although some of them have come back to using ashes on this occasion of entering into the season of Lent.
We know that the first disciples of Jesus were all Jews. The use of ashes in order to do penance and practice repentance was continued by Jews when they became Christians, and it became a standard practice for all Christians. Most of us are descendants by faith of those peoples whom Jews called Gentiles or non-Jews. When they became Catholic Christians, they also adopted making use of ashes to deepen their life of conversion.
“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”
They put aside
their comfortable clothes and put on sackcloth, like burlap, which is very
rough and uncomfortable. Then, they would dishevel their hair and pour ashes on
top of their head. It seems a contradiction that renouncing comfort for a short
or long period of time, and accepting to endure discomfort as a penance,
strengthens our faith, but it does. In part, it is because peacefully accepting
to renounce our comfort strengthens our character.
“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”
Penitential practices which renounce comfort for a time actually intensify religious dispositions such as openness to God, docility to the Holy Spirit, and willingness to accept to do the will of God. Fasting is the penitential practice of giving up certain foods and remaining hungry; while eating enough to maintain sufficient energy to be able to get through the day and accomplish our duties without passing out. In addition, remaining physically hungry makes our hunger for God more intense; which makes our religious experiences more intentional.
“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”
When I feel physically hungry and thirsty, this state in my body helps me become more aware of my soul’s hunger and thirst for God, for his life-giving Word, and for Jesus, the Bread of Life. Being in a state of fasting and penance also helps us to be more aware of the quiet and gentle movements of the Holy Spirit deep in our soul. The more aware we are of the presence and action of God within us, the easier it is for us to become friends of God.
“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”
The money we save by eating less and giving up treats and luxuries, we can then give away as alms for the poor, to alleviate the suffering of those who are starving, or who don’t have safe drinking water. In addition, when we accept to endure in our body such states as hunger, thirst, and discomfort; these minor sufferings not only intensify the quality of our awareness, but they also help to intensify the desire for God with which we enter into times of prayer. Our times of prayer can be very brief, like sending to the Lord swift word arrows like: “Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” As we enter into longer periods of prayer and keep silence in our hearts, our hunger, thirst, and discomfort can also help us express to God with much more intensity all that that is in our heart and our need for God to give us life.
“Have mercy, O Lord, for we have sinned!”
“Mary Mother of God, St. Joseph, help us walk in the steps of Jesus. O my Jesus, I trust in You! Thank You; You who are God, the Father, + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”
In silence now, the Holy Spirit helps us to unite our offering of ourselves to that of Jesus….
https://frgilleshomilies.blogspot.com https://homeliesabbegilles.blogspot.com
In the "New Covenant" made by our Creator God with humanity, as reported in Jeremiah 31:31-34, every human being can know God from within - because the Holy Spirit is revealing our Creator to all who are willing to know the Lord and trust in Him. We can still help each other along the way; so please feel free to share with others these homilies and your own personal faith in God through Jesus Christ. G.S.
© 2006-2024 All rights reserved Fr. Gilles Surprenant, Associate Priest of Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montreal QC
© 2006-2024 Tous droits réservés Abbé Gilles Surprenant, Prêtre Associé de Madonna House Apostolate & Poustinik, Montréal QC
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