Friday of the First Week of Lent
Personal Responsibility; Eucharist And Reconciliation
Liturgical Cycle: A, B, C | Lectionary Cycle: I, II
Introduction
Often, we blame the community and “the system” for the evils of society and for the sins we commit. This shrugging off of responsibility is a timeless device of escape. Christ dealt with it, and so did Ezekiel before him. Ezekiel tells us: you are personally responsible for your sins and you must repent; if so, God takes you back in his love. Jesus tells us: not the law but your personal attitude and intention count. True worship does not consist in private, self-centred religious practice but in being committed to Christ’s task of reconciliation and service of people.
Opening Prayer
God of mercy and compassion,
You challenge us to be responsible
for the good and the evil we do
and you call us to conversion.
God, help us to face ourselves,
that we may not use flimsy excuses
for covering up our wrongs.
Make us honest with ourselves,
and aware that we can always count on Jesus Christ,
to be our guide and strength on the road to you,
now and forever.
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-7a, 7bc-8
R. (3) If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
LORD, hear my voice!
Let your ears be attentive
to my voice in supplication.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,
LORD, who can stand?
But with you is forgiveness,
that you may be revered.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
I trust in the LORD;
my soul trusts in his word.
My soul waits for the LORD
more than sentinels wait for the dawn.
Let Israel wait for the LORD.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
For with the LORD is kindness
and with him is plenteous redemption;
And he will redeem Israel
from all their iniquities.
R. If you, O Lord, mark iniquities, who can stand?
Alleluia Verse
Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!
Cast away from you all the crimes you have committed, says the LORD,
And make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.
Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ!
Prayers of the Faithful
– For the Church, that it may be a merciful Church that takes its task of reconciliation seriously and keeps forgiving its erring members with patience, we pray:
– For all of us, that we dare to take the first step to forgive when others have hurt us, we pray:
– For our communities, that the Eucharist may prompt us to forgive one another and to care for people who go astray, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Merciful Father,
your Son, Jesus, comes among us
to reconcile us with you.
May he stay with us
to carry out in the world
your mission of reconciling people
with you and with one another.
Give us the courage of the humility
to seek pardon and peace
from anyone we may have offended,
in the strength of Jesus Christ,
Your Son and our Lord forever.
Prayer after Communion
Father of our Lord, Jesus Christ,
you ask us to be personally responsible
for our own deeds
and for our share in those of the community.
May this Eucharistic celebration
be a source of insight and strength
to take up our tasks as followers of Jesus.
May our deeds match our words
and may we thus express
our thanks and love to you,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
Resentment and grudge-bearing is not for us Christians, however, much we may have been hurt. We are forgiven people, and therefore, we should be forgiving people, with the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTION:
Matthew 5:20-26
Fair sense and keener sense of justice
Today is the second Friday of Lent. As we journey on the Way of the Cross to Easter, the Word of God reminds us of the metanoia - the turnaround - that the Lord calls us to practice. Today’s gospel is taken from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. It's all about overcoming complacency and practising virtues beyond being minimalists.
Lent is a time to reflect on identifying and overcoming temptations. Getting over complacency is one of my biggest struggles. Whether it's my spiritual practice or the way I handle my responsibilities, I fail to walk the extra mile.
The Gospel today calls us to walk the extra mile. Committing murder is indeed a crime, and we are happy that we have not committed that crime. But the Gospel challenges us to introspect whether we are guilty of the crime of characterassassination - through lies, gossip, or social media.
Fr. Paulson Veliyanoor writes about the difference between a "keener sense and fair sense of justice". Human justice demands that if my brother holds a grudge against me, he is the one who should come to me for reconciliation. The human sense of fairness wants to build walls to prevent the entry of migrants. The same sense tells that a murderer should be executed by the State.
Fair enough! But the keener sense that Jesus wants his followers to have is not fair; it goes beyond fair: it demands that I go to my offending brother and initiate reconciliation; that I break down walls that separate peoples; that I feed those who do not and perhaps cannot work; that I forgive my brother’s murderer. Fair sense creates just people; keener sense creates saints.
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Matthew 5:20-26
Be reconciled!
Today’s Gospel offers a reminder about the inseparable link between our relationship with God and with one another. Jesus teaches that fraternal love is foundational to our faith. The Scribes and Pharisees believed that strict adherence to the Mosaic Law was the only way to draw near to God.
This mindset still exists today in our Church communities. Many people are more concerned with whether an action, like eating meat on Fridays during Lent, is a sinor not. Focusing only on avoiding sin can lead us to fear God's punishment rather than embracing His love. This kind of legalistic thinking reduces God to a figure of a strict judge, always watching for our mistakes.
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus confronts this limited perspective. He explains that the commandment against killing not only forbids the act itself but also urges us to steer clear ofhatred, anger, and even damaging words. Physical murder is merely the outward expression of a deeper spiritual violence originating from the heart. How often do we approach God’saltar during Mass while holding onto anger or unresolved conflicts with others?
The Word of God warns us that anger when left unchecked, can lead to deeper harm. Before we approach the Eucharist, we must first seek reconciliation with our brothers and sisters. The Mass itself is a moment of reconciliation, beginning with the act of contrition and continuing through the sign of peace. But how often do we let the sign of peace become a hollow gesture, lacking true meaning? Let us restore its depth and truly be reconciled with one another so that we can truly share in the Body and Blood of Christ.
"Be reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift." (Matthew 5:24)