Reflection for 5th Sunday of Lent
On this fifth Sunday of Lent, as we move towards Holy Week, our final reflection focuses on today’s Gospel from St. John and the death of the Blessed Oscar Romero.
“I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.”
These words are taken from today’s Gospel in which Jesus tells the people that his time had come. Blessed Oscar Romero preached on this gospel on 24 March 1980 in El Salvador. He shared this powerful message:
“My dear sisters and brothers... You have just heard in Christ’s gospel that one must not love oneself so much as to avoid getting involved in the risks of life that history demands of us. Those who try to fend off the danger will lose their lives, while those who, out of love for Christ, give themselves to the service of others, will live, live like the grain of wheat that dies, but only apparently. If it did not die, it would remain alone. The harvest comes about only because it dies, allowing itself to be sacrificed in the earth and destroyed. Only by undoing itself does it produce the harvest.”
Romero, who spoke out in solidarity with the poorest people, went on to reflect on the Eucharist: “May this body immolated and this blood sacrificed for humans nourish us also, so that we may give our body and our blood to suffering and to pain – like Christ, not for self, but to bring about justice and peace for our people.”
Moments after saying these words, a gunshot rang out of the chapel. Romero fell to the ground. He died within minutes.
To Consider
Romero was martyred for the faith. He refused to be silent in the face of injustice. May we also be moved to speak out. How can we give ourselves with love for our sisters and brothers living in poverty?
Lent Prayers for Peace
Lord, help us to gladly accept what you ask of us, and care for the most vulnerable members of our family, near and far.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
May the God of Peace re-fuel and re-new us for mission, prepare us for service, for loving and for peace.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Loving Jesus, help us to abide in the peace that you give.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
God of all, inspired by the message of Blessed Oscar Romero, may we work to bring about your kingdom of justice and peace, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
Reflection for Fourth Sunday of Lent
On this fourth Sunday of Lent we continue our reflections but at the same time celebrate Mothering Sunday.
Did you know that Mothering Sunday began in the 16th century as a religious event with the word "mothering" referring to "mother church"? On the fourth Sunday in Lent, domestic servants would be given the day off in order to return to their home church and also visit their families. This was known as "going a-mothering".
Nowadays commercialisation has taken over, but the day is still celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent, while in most of the world it is on the 2nd Sunday in May. For many of us the day is one when we think with love and gratitude of our own mothers, and of our
children and grandchildren. But there are many others who find the day extremely difficult; those who never had a good relationship with their mothers; those whose relationship with their children has broken down; people who have lost mothers or children; those who never had the opportunity to have children.
There are many different circumstances which can contribute to a day of sadness and regret. As we consider this year’s theme for Lent of Seek Peace and Pursue It let us remember all those who seek inner peace, and pray that they will find it.
To Consider
Is there someone you know who finds this day difficult, to whom you could show love in a practical way?
Are there spiritual mothers in your life to whom you could show your appreciation for their guidance and prayer?
Prayer for Mothers
God, our Father, we thank you for mothers who loved and nurtured us, showing us the way to live. We rejoice with new mothers at the wonderful gift of new life, but we also remember and pray for those who are grieving because of a miscarriage, a stillbirth or infertility.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We pray for mothers who are grieving the loss of a child and for children and adults grieving the loss of a mother. We pray for mothers estranged from their children, and children who have left home and whose whereabouts is unknown.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We pray for all who have never known a mother’s love and have been abused, neglected and unloved. We ask that they will find the mother-heart of you, our God, and feel your peace.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Help us to be sensitive to the needs of others, and to be people who “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” We pray in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows us all intimately and loves each one of us. Amen.
Reflection for Third Sunday of Lent
On this third Sunday of Lent we continue our reflections under the theme of Seek Peace and Pursue It. This reflection, in part, is taken from an article by the Methodist Women in Britain.
Peace in conflict
“I know I am not alone in finding conflict situations difficult to deal with. I feel uncomfortable being in the company of people who are arguing. Children shouting at each other or dogs fighting in the street make me shudder.
I wonder how I would cope in a situation of war, witnessing daily expressions of aggression, violence and hatred. I know that in arenas of conflict, women are especially vulnerable to aggression including sexual violence. How would I react if someone showed aggression towards me, or to a member of my family?”
Major Seitebatso Pearl Block is pursuing peace. While serving with a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she took time to listen to the concerns of the Congolese women and subsequently trained fellow staff officers to be more fully aware of gender dynamics and the sexual violence related to the conflict.
There are many other areas of the world where women suffer through violence. In Rakhine State, Myanmar, in Aleppo in Syria, in cities and rural areas and wherever women and children are on the move as refugees, they are vulnerable to appalling and abusive treatment.
To Consider
In today’s gospel we hear from Luke that Jesus went up to Jerusalem and drove out of the Temple the merchants and the money changers, but in the previous verse from Luke, we also learn that Jesus wept over Jerusalem saying “If you only knew today what is needed for peace”
Please think about those areas of conflict in the news today where ‘women run in fear from war’ and ask God to show us ‘the things that make for peace.’
Prayer for Peace
Let us pray for those who work courageously for peace and justice in places of conflict.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer
Help us all to be willing to listen to the concerns of those who are vulnerable to abuse.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer
Give us courage to stand up for justice. Teach us when we should speak out.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer
Show us how we can bring reconciliation to opposing factions.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer
Reflection for Second Sunday of Lent
On this second Sunday of Lent we give thanks and praise to God, who uplifts us with loving mercy.
Pope Francis explains, “The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel.”
Friday was CAFOD’s Lent Family Fast Day and today we can help bring God’s mercy to our family across the world.
Living in Zimbabwe, Marian’s body ached from hunger. She struggled on her own to provide for her family. And it broke her heart to see her children go hungry. You have helped turn heartbreak into hope for Marian and her family.
Marian joined a community vegetable garden, which is set up thanks to your donations and supported by our partner Caritas Gokwe. She works hard to grows carrots, spinach and butternut squash. Her children now have the nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong. Most of all, the garden gives Marian hope for the future.
“My life is different now,” she says. “We are now more of a family in our community. Caritas has brought us together.” Marian is happy to see her children grow healthier every day. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of people like you. She says:
“I’m very grateful to CAFOD supporters for what they’ve done. You have been a bridge from a place of suffering to a better world. If I were to meet you, it would be such a blessing. I’d like to ask you, what drives you to give to others? Is it your kindness?”
Please help people like Marian by donating to Family Fast Day in the 2nd collection today.
Prayer for Family Fast Day
“Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – to share your bread with the hungry, and not turn from your own kin?” (Isaiah 58:5-7)
Everlasting God, we give you thanks for you nourish and strengthen us with your merciful love.
Give us this day our daily bread.
We pray for those who hunger in scorched lands, with no food for their children. Together, we cry out for justice.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Help us to share generously as one global family, and to hold onto hope for a world transformed.
Bread of life, we pray your people may find life and joy in all its fullness.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen
Reflection for 1st Sunday of Lent
Disarming Hearts
Jesus is an amazing saviour. Even during his arrest, a time of great distress and foreboding, He preserved the Word of God in His heart and in His actions. Until the very end, He continued to teach His disciples the Word of God and revealed God’s character through His own behaviour and reaction to what He was going through.
Instead of being relieved that His companions were defending Him, or pride in knowing that they were willing to fight for His freedom, He defused the situation and brought peace to a situation that could have ended in bloodshed. As He healed the slave’s ear, He went one step further, and protested what had been done through violence, even though He was innocent.
In Colombia, until last year, there had been bloodshed between Colombians for over 50 years because of the internal conflict perpetrated by left-wing guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries. This civil war left over 5 million Colombians internally displaced, over 200,000 dead, and communities living in impoverishment, fear and hopelessness. The Peace Treaty agreement of last year, signed by the Colombian government and the largest rebel group known as the FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), has put an end to hopelessness and has opened the way for peace and reconciliation.
The Colombian Methodist Church, who works in the communities most affected by the conflict, has played a key role at the negotiating table during the peace talks, as part of a cohort of Colombian protestant churches. It will also play a key role in bringing peace and reconciliation and forgiveness between former FARC soldiers and affected communities. The rebel soldiers have now been disarmed, but Bishop Juan Alberto Cardona of the Colombian Methodist Church has said that the most important role of the church is now to ‘disarm hearts’ both of those who have been affected by the conflict and those who perpetrated the conflict. Just like Jesus disarmed the hearts of those who were ready for a fight during His arrest, God’s church in Colombia can bring true hope of peace and reconciliation between Colombians.
To consider: What situations do we face in life where we have been wronged? Do we react by instinct to these situations and feel hard done by, or do we choose to respond like Jesus, by disarming hearts and truly seeking peace?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask your Holy Spirit to give me the wisdom to become a disarmer of hearts in every volatile situation I find myself in. Help me to truly seek peace in every situation even if it means I may not obtain justice for myself in that instance. Help me see the bigger picture of your plan for peace in your world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
On this fifth Sunday of Lent, as we move towards Holy Week, our final reflection focuses on today’s Gospel from St. John and the death of the Blessed Oscar Romero.
“I tell you, most solemnly, unless a wheat grain falls on the ground and dies, it remains only a single grain; but if it dies, it yields a rich harvest.”
These words are taken from today’s Gospel in which Jesus tells the people that his time had come. Blessed Oscar Romero preached on this gospel on 24 March 1980 in El Salvador. He shared this powerful message:
“My dear sisters and brothers... You have just heard in Christ’s gospel that one must not love oneself so much as to avoid getting involved in the risks of life that history demands of us. Those who try to fend off the danger will lose their lives, while those who, out of love for Christ, give themselves to the service of others, will live, live like the grain of wheat that dies, but only apparently. If it did not die, it would remain alone. The harvest comes about only because it dies, allowing itself to be sacrificed in the earth and destroyed. Only by undoing itself does it produce the harvest.”
Romero, who spoke out in solidarity with the poorest people, went on to reflect on the Eucharist: “May this body immolated and this blood sacrificed for humans nourish us also, so that we may give our body and our blood to suffering and to pain – like Christ, not for self, but to bring about justice and peace for our people.”
Moments after saying these words, a gunshot rang out of the chapel. Romero fell to the ground. He died within minutes.
To Consider
Romero was martyred for the faith. He refused to be silent in the face of injustice. May we also be moved to speak out. How can we give ourselves with love for our sisters and brothers living in poverty?
Lent Prayers for Peace
Lord, help us to gladly accept what you ask of us, and care for the most vulnerable members of our family, near and far.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
May the God of Peace re-fuel and re-new us for mission, prepare us for service, for loving and for peace.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Loving Jesus, help us to abide in the peace that you give.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
God of all, inspired by the message of Blessed Oscar Romero, may we work to bring about your kingdom of justice and peace, on earth as it is in heaven. Amen.
Reflection for Fourth Sunday of Lent
On this fourth Sunday of Lent we continue our reflections but at the same time celebrate Mothering Sunday.
Did you know that Mothering Sunday began in the 16th century as a religious event with the word "mothering" referring to "mother church"? On the fourth Sunday in Lent, domestic servants would be given the day off in order to return to their home church and also visit their families. This was known as "going a-mothering".
Nowadays commercialisation has taken over, but the day is still celebrated in the UK on the fourth Sunday in Lent, while in most of the world it is on the 2nd Sunday in May. For many of us the day is one when we think with love and gratitude of our own mothers, and of our
children and grandchildren. But there are many others who find the day extremely difficult; those who never had a good relationship with their mothers; those whose relationship with their children has broken down; people who have lost mothers or children; those who never had the opportunity to have children.
There are many different circumstances which can contribute to a day of sadness and regret. As we consider this year’s theme for Lent of Seek Peace and Pursue It let us remember all those who seek inner peace, and pray that they will find it.
To Consider
Is there someone you know who finds this day difficult, to whom you could show love in a practical way?
Are there spiritual mothers in your life to whom you could show your appreciation for their guidance and prayer?
Prayer for Mothers
God, our Father, we thank you for mothers who loved and nurtured us, showing us the way to live. We rejoice with new mothers at the wonderful gift of new life, but we also remember and pray for those who are grieving because of a miscarriage, a stillbirth or infertility.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer.
We pray for mothers who are grieving the loss of a child and for children and adults grieving the loss of a mother. We pray for mothers estranged from their children, and children who have left home and whose whereabouts is unknown.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
We pray for all who have never known a mother’s love and have been abused, neglected and unloved. We ask that they will find the mother-heart of you, our God, and feel your peace.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our prayer
Help us to be sensitive to the needs of others, and to be people who “rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep.” We pray in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows us all intimately and loves each one of us. Amen.
Reflection for Third Sunday of Lent
On this third Sunday of Lent we continue our reflections under the theme of Seek Peace and Pursue It. This reflection, in part, is taken from an article by the Methodist Women in Britain.
Peace in conflict
“I know I am not alone in finding conflict situations difficult to deal with. I feel uncomfortable being in the company of people who are arguing. Children shouting at each other or dogs fighting in the street make me shudder.
I wonder how I would cope in a situation of war, witnessing daily expressions of aggression, violence and hatred. I know that in arenas of conflict, women are especially vulnerable to aggression including sexual violence. How would I react if someone showed aggression towards me, or to a member of my family?”
Major Seitebatso Pearl Block is pursuing peace. While serving with a United Nations peacekeeping force in the Democratic Republic of Congo, she took time to listen to the concerns of the Congolese women and subsequently trained fellow staff officers to be more fully aware of gender dynamics and the sexual violence related to the conflict.
There are many other areas of the world where women suffer through violence. In Rakhine State, Myanmar, in Aleppo in Syria, in cities and rural areas and wherever women and children are on the move as refugees, they are vulnerable to appalling and abusive treatment.
To Consider
In today’s gospel we hear from Luke that Jesus went up to Jerusalem and drove out of the Temple the merchants and the money changers, but in the previous verse from Luke, we also learn that Jesus wept over Jerusalem saying “If you only knew today what is needed for peace”
Please think about those areas of conflict in the news today where ‘women run in fear from war’ and ask God to show us ‘the things that make for peace.’
Prayer for Peace
Let us pray for those who work courageously for peace and justice in places of conflict.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer
Help us all to be willing to listen to the concerns of those who are vulnerable to abuse.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer
Give us courage to stand up for justice. Teach us when we should speak out.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer
Show us how we can bring reconciliation to opposing factions.
Lord in your mercy
Hear our Prayer
Reflection for Second Sunday of Lent
On this second Sunday of Lent we give thanks and praise to God, who uplifts us with loving mercy.
Pope Francis explains, “The mercy of God is his loving concern for each one of us. He feels responsible; that is, he desires our wellbeing and he wants to see us happy, full of joy, and peaceful. This is the path which the merciful love of Christians must also travel.”
Friday was CAFOD’s Lent Family Fast Day and today we can help bring God’s mercy to our family across the world.
Living in Zimbabwe, Marian’s body ached from hunger. She struggled on her own to provide for her family. And it broke her heart to see her children go hungry. You have helped turn heartbreak into hope for Marian and her family.
Marian joined a community vegetable garden, which is set up thanks to your donations and supported by our partner Caritas Gokwe. She works hard to grows carrots, spinach and butternut squash. Her children now have the nutrients they need to grow healthy and strong. Most of all, the garden gives Marian hope for the future.
“My life is different now,” she says. “We are now more of a family in our community. Caritas has brought us together.” Marian is happy to see her children grow healthier every day. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of people like you. She says:
“I’m very grateful to CAFOD supporters for what they’ve done. You have been a bridge from a place of suffering to a better world. If I were to meet you, it would be such a blessing. I’d like to ask you, what drives you to give to others? Is it your kindness?”
Please help people like Marian by donating to Family Fast Day in the 2nd collection today.
Prayer for Family Fast Day
“Is not this the sort of fast that pleases me – to share your bread with the hungry, and not turn from your own kin?” (Isaiah 58:5-7)
Everlasting God, we give you thanks for you nourish and strengthen us with your merciful love.
Give us this day our daily bread.
We pray for those who hunger in scorched lands, with no food for their children. Together, we cry out for justice.
Give us this day our daily bread.
Help us to share generously as one global family, and to hold onto hope for a world transformed.
Bread of life, we pray your people may find life and joy in all its fullness.
Through Christ our Lord, Amen
Reflection for 1st Sunday of Lent
Disarming Hearts
Jesus is an amazing saviour. Even during his arrest, a time of great distress and foreboding, He preserved the Word of God in His heart and in His actions. Until the very end, He continued to teach His disciples the Word of God and revealed God’s character through His own behaviour and reaction to what He was going through.
Instead of being relieved that His companions were defending Him, or pride in knowing that they were willing to fight for His freedom, He defused the situation and brought peace to a situation that could have ended in bloodshed. As He healed the slave’s ear, He went one step further, and protested what had been done through violence, even though He was innocent.
In Colombia, until last year, there had been bloodshed between Colombians for over 50 years because of the internal conflict perpetrated by left-wing guerrilla groups and right-wing paramilitaries. This civil war left over 5 million Colombians internally displaced, over 200,000 dead, and communities living in impoverishment, fear and hopelessness. The Peace Treaty agreement of last year, signed by the Colombian government and the largest rebel group known as the FARC (the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), has put an end to hopelessness and has opened the way for peace and reconciliation.
The Colombian Methodist Church, who works in the communities most affected by the conflict, has played a key role at the negotiating table during the peace talks, as part of a cohort of Colombian protestant churches. It will also play a key role in bringing peace and reconciliation and forgiveness between former FARC soldiers and affected communities. The rebel soldiers have now been disarmed, but Bishop Juan Alberto Cardona of the Colombian Methodist Church has said that the most important role of the church is now to ‘disarm hearts’ both of those who have been affected by the conflict and those who perpetrated the conflict. Just like Jesus disarmed the hearts of those who were ready for a fight during His arrest, God’s church in Colombia can bring true hope of peace and reconciliation between Colombians.
To consider: What situations do we face in life where we have been wronged? Do we react by instinct to these situations and feel hard done by, or do we choose to respond like Jesus, by disarming hearts and truly seeking peace?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask your Holy Spirit to give me the wisdom to become a disarmer of hearts in every volatile situation I find myself in. Help me to truly seek peace in every situation even if it means I may not obtain justice for myself in that instance. Help me see the bigger picture of your plan for peace in your world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
