Daily Lenten Reflections | Sunday Lenten Reflections

First Week
​Second Week
​Third Week
Fourth Week
Fifth Week

Week I; Temptation
​Week 2: Transfiguration
Week 3 : Woman at the Well
Week 4: The Blind Man
Week 5: Raising of Lazarus
​

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14  March

Saturday of the Second Week in Lent
Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them." So to them Jesus addressed this parable.

"A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.' So the father divided the property between them.

After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.

Coming to his senses he thought, 'How many of my father's hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."' So he got up and went back to his father.

While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.' Then the celebration began.

Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him,
'Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.' He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him.

​He said to his father in reply, 'Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.' He said to him, 'My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.'"

Reflection..... In Today’s Gospel, we hear the story of the prodigal son. The story is a beautiful representation of God the Father’s love for us and the responses of the sons represent the ways that we can respond to that love. We can look at the younger son as a representation of the tax collectors and sinners that repent and seek God’s mercy and the older son as a representation of the Pharisees who complained that Jesus was the friend of sinners. The older brother is angered because His Father throws a huge celebration for his younger brother, and and yet, he never received any kind of affirmation for faithfully serving him over the years. What the older son does not realize is that He has always been blessed, and His Father reminds Him of His inheritance. Everything that the Father owns has already been given to Him. The older son believed that his servitude to the father is what earned him love while the younger brother believed he should be treated as a slave for his actions. The father’s response to both sons is th at of love; he runs to the younger son, meets him while he is still far off and welcomes him back into his father’s house and he reminds the older son that he already has all that the father owns and is loved just as much. This is the same for our Heavenly Father who loves all of us - those far off and those who remain close to His Love.

Which son are you? Do you feel distant from God and unworthy of His love? Do you work so hard to achieve holiness, but do not receive the affirmation you are seeking from Our Lord? Christ knows our Hearts and understands our intentions. By freely choosing Christ and following Him, we can inherit eternal life. He desires this for each one of us, which is why He rejoices when the son who rebelled, returns home. 

Today’s Tip: Ask yourself and reflect, “are you rebelling against the Father’s will or following Him? What is keeping you from being truly free?” Whatever it is, offer it up to Jesus and let Him help you move towards the true freedom of being His beloved child. 

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13  March

Friday of the Second Week in Lent
Matthew 21: 33-43, 45-46

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: "Hear another parable.
There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. 

But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned.
Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way.
Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.

What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?" They answered him, "He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times." Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that He was speaking about them.
And although they were attempting to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded Him as a prophet.

Reflection.....In Today’s Gospel, Jesus shares a parable with the leaders of the Jews, foreshadowing his own fate. Our Heavenly Father expected to see the fruits of love, justice, piety, and fidelity in His people but did not find it. Now He has sent His only Son to encourage and teach the chief priests to be leaders for the people so that they can produce good fruit. Instead, they will kill Him because they want the power for themselves. They reject Jesus who is the cornerstone and thus the whole structure comes crashing down and they lose whatever power they had. Jesus concludes, "Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.” 

How do we treat the people and things under our care? We are all responsible for how we treat others and how we use the resources given to us by God. Ourpower is really a responsibility to serve, given to us from the Lord, from whom all power comes. Do we see this as such? Or do we chose our own power over God? 

Today’s Tip: Write a list of your responsibilities and how you carry them out and strive to cultivate a spirit of service. We have been entrusted with much, so let us serve much and receive God’s good pleasure.

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12  March

Thursday of the Second Week in Lent
Luke 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table.

Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.

And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. 

Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.' He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.'
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But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets.Let them listen to them.' He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"

Reflection..... In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks to the Pharisees and breaks down one of the biggest misconceptions of the Jews at that time: that the rich are blessed by God and the poor are cursed by Him. Lazarus may have had a difficult life on earth but he was still deeply loved by God. Despite what our culture tells us, our earthly success and material wealth do not define us. God is not concerned with our worldly accomplishments, but rather he looks within our hearts and is more interested in how we love and treat others. 

How can we reach out to those in need of love? It’s so important to step outside of ourselves and be conscious of the needs of others. If we follow Christ’s example, we can open our hearts to be humble in serving, loving and caring for others. There are so many people who are “lying at our doorstep” who need nothing more than to be shown the love of God. 

Today’s Tip: Take time to notice every single person you encounter throughout your day. If you are able to give love in some way, take that extra step to do so. If not, smile and pray for each and every soul that they may come to know how truly loved they are by God the Father. 

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11 March

Wednesday of the Second Week in Lent
Matthew 20:17-28

As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the Twelve disciples aside by themselves, and said to them on the way, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day."

Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee approached Jesus with her sons and did him homage, wishing to ask him for something. He said to her, "What do you wish?" She answered him, "Command that these two sons of mine sit, one at your right and the other at your left, in your kingdom." Jesus said in reply,
"You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the chalice that I am going to drink?" They said to him, "We can." He replied, "My chalice you will indeed drink, but to sit at my right and at my left, this is not mine to give but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."

​When the ten heard this, they became indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus summoned them and said,
"You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones make their authority over them felt. But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Reflection..... In Today’s Gospel, Matthew is teaching us about service. To serve someone means to surrender your will and desires for another. Jesus and our most Blessed Mother are the ultimate examples of selfless desires and service. In surrendering to God’s will, they sacrificed their desires, and chose to trust in God’s greater plan. Although His Will did not save them from suffering, it did bring them eternal joy.

Do we surrender like Jesus and Mary? The secret to their peace and joy lies in the fact that they made their one desire to do God’s Will. We get frustrated, lose hope and despair thinking that God forgot about us when things do not go as we want. Or how often do we force our own will and the things that we want instead of listening to what God wants? What if we asked that our desires reflect God’s desire for us? When we humble ourselves and serve, we forget about ourselves and are able to see the bigger picture that God sees. We learn what He desires for us and our desires become one. 

Today’s Tip: Say a decade of the Rosary and ask the Blessed Mother to intercede and unite your desires to her most loving and merciful son Jesus. 

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10 March

Tuesday of the Second Week in Lent
Matthew 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying,
"The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people's shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation 'Rabbi.'
As for you, do not be called 'Rabbi.'
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called 'Master';
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted."

Reflection..... In today’s Gospel, we see the hypocrisy of the Pharisees and the scribes through their empty words and actions. Their religious practices are motivated by vanity and pride. Jesus invites us to humble ourselves and perform our good deeds with pure intentions. Christ comes to show us another way, a path of hope and great humility. He teaches us that those who humble themselves are not forgotten, but rather, they are the ones who will be be exalted and receive glory in the Kingdom of Heaven. 

Are you living out your faith in an authentic and real way? Are your intentions pure or motivated by vanity and pride? Do you desire to do good and help others or do you only desire the glory and recognition that comes with doing good? Saying we are Christians is one thing, but are we living the life Jesus calls us to?

Today’s Tip: Look for the opportunities in your life not to be a hypocrite, but to live an authentic witness to the Gospel and joyfully humble ourselves like Christ. In doing so, we too may be free to embrace our identity as children of God.

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09 March

Monday of the Second Week in Lent
Luke 6:36-38

Jesus said to His disciples:
"Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.
"Stop judging and you will not be judged.
Stop condemning and you will not be condemned.
Forgive and you will be forgiven.
Give and gifts will be given to you;
a good measure, packed together,
​shaken down, and overflowing,
will be poured into your lap.
For the measure with which you measure
will in return be measured out to you."

Reflection..... In Today’s Gospel, we see that we are not dealt with according to our sins, but according to how we have loved. Christ gave His life for us on the cross so that we may be free from the eternal punishment of sin. It is our responsibility to accept His sacrifice. We do this through repentance, which requires the rejection of sin and the will to do good. It is not so much a matter of how you have sinned in the past, but if you have resolved to sin no more.

What does it look like to live without sin? We are called to love, to be merciful as our Heavenly Father is merciful, not to judge and condemn, but to forgive. We have all been hurt by someone. To forgive is not to be okay with what has happened, but to free the one who has wronged you of their debt, to reaffirm them in love. Do not forget that you must also forgive yourself for the wrongs you have committed. Why do you still hold on to the past? God wants you to be free!
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Today’s Tip: Write down one thing you may be holding on to (regret, addiction, despair, etc.) that prohibits you from receiving what the Lord has to offer you (joy, freedom, hope, etc.). Surrender this to God and remain united with Him in prayer and “the measure with which you measure, will in return be measured out to you."