Sunday Lenten Reflections | Daily Lenten Reflections

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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Fifth Week

Easter of Hope is a Lenten reflection and video series by Array of Hope. Daily reading and a Lenten reflection including tips on how to live out the hope of Christ's resurrection.Sundays you will receive a short inspirational video from one of our Array of Hope Presenters.  
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07  March

Saturday of the First Week in Lent
Matthew 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
"You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies,
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers and sisters only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect."

Reflection.....In Today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches about forgiveness. This can be tough, and because of our fallen human nature, we can easily fall into the temptation of holding on to our anger or remaining hostile to those who have hurt us. After a while, this anger can consume us, break up friendships, relationships, and even families. Christ offers us something different; a message of great hope! He encourages us to be humble and to “love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” This is much easier said than done as we all know how difficult it is to forgive someone who has hurts us, let alone pray for them. We need to remember that forgiveness is possible, but we cannot do it on our own, we need the help of God’s grace.

Are you struggling to forgive? Let us look to St. Maria Goretti as a beautiful example of how to forgive. The young virgin was murdered in 1902 when she was just twelve years old. She was assaulted and stabbed to death by a young man named Alessandro Serenelli. Before dying in the hospital the following day, St. Maria expressed her forgiveness to Alessandro. He remained unrepentant in prison for 8 years, until he had a dream of St. Maria gathering flowers and presenting them to him, which is when he finally accepted her forgiveness. Like St. Maria, we are called to forgive those who have wronged us, even if they do not accept it. This pure act will forever serve as a reminder of our own true vocation which is to love all of our brothers and sisters, even those who have wronged us.

Today’s Tip:  Say a prayer for one person if your life who has hurt you or you consider to be an “enemy.” Ask God for the grace to love and forgive them. ​

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06  March

Friday of the First Week in Lent
Ezekiel 18: 21-28

Thus says the Lord GOD:
If the wicked man turns away from all the sins he committed,   if he keeps all my statutes and does what is right and just,
he shall surely live, he shall not die.  None of the crimes he committed shall be remembered against him; he shall live because of the virtue he has practiced. Do I indeed derive any pleasure from the death of the wicked? says the Lord GOD. 
Do I not rather rejoice when he turns from his evil way that he may live?

And if the virtuous man turns from the path of virtue to do evil, the same kind of abominable things that the wicked man does, can he do this and still live? None of his virtuous deeds shall be remembered, because he has broken faith and committed sin; because of this, he shall die. 

You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"   Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if the wicked, turning from the wickedness he has committed, does what is right and just,
he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he committed,  he shall surely live, he shall not die.

Reflection.....In Today’s Reading,  Jesus asks us to turn away from sin and embrace truth and life. He promises eternal life to the one that  “keeps all statutes and does what is right and just.” From this we learn how to be merciful. Just as our Father in Heaven is merciful to us, in turn we learn to be merciful towards others. We can practice this virtue through the act of forgiveness. Forgiveness is difficult to do on our own, but made possible when we ask God for help and strength. Keeping our eyes always fixed on Jesus, helps us to chose what is right and to grow in mercy. 

How often are we faced with temptations throughout our day? Big or small, we are all faced with things on a daily basis. Rather than looking at them as difficulties, may we open our eyes to see them as opportunities for us to chose God and chose what is right and grow deeper in love with our Lord.When we turn away from sin and turn towards Christ, something in our heart changes and changes for the better. Our hearts become more compassionate and loving when Christ is at the center. Jesus rejoices when we turn from evil and turn towards Him.

Today’s Tip: Say the Act of Contrition. Ask God to be present to you and help you in overcoming the temptations and difficulties that you may be faced with in your li

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05 March

Thursday of the First Week in Lent
Matthew 7:7-12

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets.”

Reflection.....In Today’s Gospel, Jesus encourages His disciples to pray so they are open to hearing the voice of God. Through prayer, we foster a deeper relationship with Our Lord. Sometimes we struggle with prayer. We are too scared to ask God for help because we feel we are unworthy or we fear God will not answer our prayers. We must remember that our God is all loving and almighty. Sometimes He answers our prayers quickly, exactly in the way we hoped. Other times, He may answer them in a way we did not expect or as us to wait on Him and His Response. Yet still other times God answers our prayers by saying "No." Whatever the case, God gives us the good things we truly need, and only withholds from us what is best, though we may not have eyes to see for some time. We need to learn to trust in Him and His Will.

Is there anything in your life that is holding you back from revealing your hear to Our Lord? God wants you to share your heart with Him. He wants to hear about your desires, your dreams, your worries, your disappointments and struggles. No matter what you are going through or what you need, you can always call upon Jesus and He is there to help you. He has big plans for you and will always provide for you.

Today’s Tip: Take 10 minutes to write a prayer to God expressing to Him your desires and struggles and trust in His wisdom and His will for your life. 

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04 March

Wednesday of the First Week in Lent
Luke 11:29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, "This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.  Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites, so will the Son of Man be to this generation.

At the judgment  the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation  and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and there is something greater than Solomon here.  At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here."

Reflection...In Today’s Gospel, Jesus warns us about hearing His word but not accepting or following it. The people demanded proof that Jesus was the Messiah before they believed Him. Jesus says “This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah.” Jonah was a sign from God. He spent three days in the belly of a whale. Because of his witness, Nineveh, a pagan city, was converted and the people repented and began to believe in God and His mercy. 

How often do we seek out signs in our lives, before believing? As human beings we are visual and rational beings. Sometimes we look for tangible signs from God. Maybe you are seeking affirmation for a decision or choice you need to make, or you need guidance in a particular situation or you simply want reassurance that Jesus is truly present with you. All of these desires are good, but we are called to step out of our comfort and live by faith, not by signs.  Just as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, Jesus reveals to us that He himself is the sign. But is this enough for us to believe? True faith and trust lies in believing without seeing, and knowing that Christ is always with us, through all the good times and the bad. Throughout Lent we are reminded of His great love for us and how He sacrifices His life out of love for us. 

Today’s Tip: Spend 30 minutes with Jesus in front of the Blessed Sacrament. Pray silently to the one who knows your heart inside and out and still loves you.

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03 March

Tuesday of the First Week in Lent
Isaiah 55:10-11

Thus says the LORD: Just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there
till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and
bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me
void, but shall do my will, achieving the end for which I sent it.
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Reflection...Today’s Reading  beautifully compares the power of God’s Word to the precipitation that sustains and nourishes all lifeforms on Earth. Without rain, snow, or any kind of precipitation, the Earth would not be able to survive. It would become a barren desert and every creature would perish.

Where do you get your nourishment? Like the earth, we need to be nourished and sustained by God’s Word. Thankfully, God sent His only son to nourish us. The same Christ who was with our Heavenly Father at the beginning of Creation, has been sent by God to dwell among men and reveal God’s glory through His words and deeds. As Catholics, we have an opportunity to receive Christ in the Eucharist everyday. How often do we think about the fact that the “Word-Made-Flesh” makes Himself available to us daily?

Today’s Tip: Go to daily Mass and receive the Eucharist. After receiving, pray and mediate on the many graces we receive when we consume the Body of Christ. Thanks be to Jesus, we have an opportunity to be nourished body and soul!

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02 March

Monday of the First Week in Lent
Matthew 25:31-46

Jesus said to His disciples:
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, He will sit upon His glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before Him.  And He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

He will place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left. Then the king will say to those on His right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'

Then the righteous will answer Him and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you?  When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?' And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'

Then they will answer and say, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison, and not minister to your needs?' He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.' And these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."

Reflection ...... In Today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us out of our selfishness and shows us the importance of serving others. We inherently know this, but often our good acts become too familiar and we become complacent. As St. John of the Cross reminds us: "In the evening of life, we will be judged by love alone."

What has become routine for you? Think about your own life. How can we open our eyes to live more attentive to the needs of those set before us? Who are the people that God has placed in front of you? Will you ignore them? Or will you love them? We sign up to work at the soup kitchen on Sunday, but we avert our gaze from the homeless man on the street. We bring a bag full of old clothes to the thrift store, but gossip about anyone not wearing the latest fashions. We start Bible studies in prisons, but we fail to forgive someone who has wronged us. The Works of Mercy can become a checklist rather than a way of life. But the Gospel says that those who were set apart as the righteous ones were not aware of when they had served Jesus. They were not simply following a list of responsibilities, but truly loving those set before them, seeing Christ in each person.

Today’s Tip: Choose one Corporal Work of Mercy to perform today.