THE THIRD SUNDAY IN LENT - CLEANSING THE TEMPLE
✠In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Jesus, cleanser of temples and souls, at this mid-point in our Lenten journey,
look deep within our hearts and lives and clear away all that holds us back.
Let us confess our thoughts, words and deeds that clutter us,
and call to mind our sins….
that I have greatly sinned,
in my thoughts and in my words,
in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,
through my fault, through my fault,
through my most grievous fault;
therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin,
all the Angels and Saints,
to pray for me to the Lord our God.
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
THE COLLECT FOR THE DAY
O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness,
who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving
have shown us a remedy for sin,
look graciously on this confession of our lowliness,
that we, who are bowed down by our conscience,
may always be lifted up by your mercy.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and eve. Amen.
FIRST READING - 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
While the Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here are we preaching a crucified Christ;
to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and the wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.
RESPONSORIAL PSALM: Psalm 18(19):8-11
You, Lord, have the message of eternal life.
The law of the Lord is perfect, it revives the soul. The rule of the Lord is to be trusted, it gives wisdom to the simple.
You, Lord, have the message of eternal life.
The precepts of the Lord are right, they gladden the heart. The command of the Lord is clear, it gives light to the eyes.
You, Lord, have the message of eternal life.
The fear of the Lord is holy, abiding for ever. The decrees of the Lord are truth and all of them just.
You, Lord, have the message of eternal life.
They are more to be desired than gold, than the purest of gold and sweeter are they than honey, than honey from the comb.
You, Lord, have the message of eternal life.
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Praise to you, O Christ, king of eternal glory!
A reading from the holy Gospel according to John chapter 2 (vv.13-25)
Just before the Jewish Passover Jesus went up to Jerusalem, and in the Temple he found people selling cattle and sheep and pigeons, and the money-changers sitting at their counters there.
Making a whip out of some cord, he drove them all out of the Temple,
cattle and sheep as well, scattered the money-changers’ coins, knocked their tables over and said to the pigeon-sellers, ‘Take all this out of here and stop turning my Father’s house into a market.’ Then his disciples remembered the words of scripture:
Zeal for your house will devour me.
The Jews intervened and said, ‘What sign can you show us to justify what you have done?’ Jesus answered, ‘Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will raise it up.’
The Jews replied, ‘It has taken forty-six years to build this sanctuary: are you going to raise it up in three days?’
But he was speaking of the sanctuary that was his body, and when Jesus rose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the scripture and the words he had said.During his stay in Jerusalem for the Passover many believed in his name when they saw the signs that he gave, but Jesus knew them all and did not trust himself to them; he never needed evidence about any man; he could tell what a man had in him.
REFLECTION
Overturning tables by John van der Laar (Sacredise)
“Truth be told, Jesus,
There are lots of tables that need overturning in our lives;
Beneath the veneer of respectability
the tidy rows and neat regulations
hide dark addictions and angry judgements, hungry greeds and heartless rejections We know the pain – and so do those around us –of keeping up the facade.
What a relief it would be to have it all, upset, smashed, scattered, destroyed. So, perhaps, Jesus, today you could pay us a visit, and help us to radically
rearrange the furniture of our lives.”
THE APOSTLES’ CREED
I believe in God, the Father almighty,
Creator of heaven and earth,
and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, died and was buried;
he descended into hell;
on the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the holy catholic Church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and life everlasting. Amen.
THE PRAYER OF THE FAITHFUL (Bidding Prayers)
(Source: © 2020 Thom M. Shuman, and The Association of Catholic Priests)
For what shall we pray, O God?
where there is death, let us offer life;
where there is brokenness,
let us be healers, people of unity;
where there is loneliness,
let us offer a welcome.
For what shall we pray, O Jesus?
where there is cruelty,
let us seek justice,
where there is bitterness,
let us sow kindness;
where there is hatred,
let us offer hands of love.
for what shall we pray O Spirit?
where there is anger,
let us be the breath of hope;
where there is violence,
let us be peacemakers;
where neighbourhoods are in ruins,
let us rebuild communities.
for what shall we pray?
for more tenderness than tensions,
for more listening than lecturing,
for more forgiving than pointing fingers,
for more concern for the forgotten than the favoured,
for more humanity than hatred.
hear our prayers, God in Community, Holy in One,
hear our prayers…..
For all of us, as we continue our journey through Lent;
Lord, hear us.
For Pope Francis, as he encourages believers in Iraq this weekend, and for the
building of bridges there between Christians and Muslims; Lord, hear us.
For Christians everywhere who suffer for their faith; Lord, hear us.
For the healing of all people affected by COVID-19; Lord, hear us.
For all healthcare workers, and those whose work is essential as we recover from this virus; Lord, hear us.
For teachers, as children return to school this week; Lord, hear us.
For all who have died, that the message of eternal life may be manifest
in their heavenly destiny;
✠ Rest eternal grant unto them, O Lord,
and let light perpetual shine upon them.
May they rest in peace, and rise in glory.
We ask Mary to pray with us, as we with her bring our care
for our world in the grip of this pandemic;
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee,
blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
May we be your people, Your body
Your hands, Your feet, Your prayer;
This we seek to do and to be.
Merciful Father, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son,
our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Let us lift up our hearts.
Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.
always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God.
For you have given your children a sacred time
for the renewing and purifying of their hearts,
that, freed from disordered affections,
they may so deal with the things of this passing world
as to hold rather to the things that eternally endure.
And so, with all the Angels and Saints,
we praise you, as without end we acclaim:
Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God of hosts.
Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.
At the Saviour’s command
and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come,
thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil,
graciously grant peace in our days,
that, by the help of your mercy,
we may be always free from sin
and safe from all distress,
as we await the blessed hope
and the coming of our Saviour, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom, the power and the glory are yours
now and for ever.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world,
grant us peace.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
My Jesus, I love you above all things.
How I long to receive you with my brothers and sisters
at the table you have prepared.
Since I cannot at this moment receive you in bread and wine
according to your promise in the sacrament of Holy Communion,
I ask you to feed me with the manna of your Holy Spirit
and nourish me with your Holy presence.
I unite myself wholly to you.
Never permit me to be separated from your love.
Loving God, I have come to worship you.
Help me to remember that you are here with me.
Eternal God, in Christ you make yourself a guest.
Amid all my cares and concerns
make me attentive to your voice
and alert to your presence,
that I may know your love surpasses all else;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Sit for a moment in silence
My Jesus,
I believe that You are present in the Most Holy Sacrament.
I love You above all things,
and I desire to receive You into my soul.
Since I cannot at this moment
receive You sacramentally,
come at least spiritually into my heart.
I embrace You as if You were already there
and unite myself wholly to You.
Never permit me to be separated from You.
Silence
ASKING GOD’S BLESSING
and in your kindness grant us your servants this grace:
that, abiding in the love of you and our neighbour,
we may fulfil the whole of your commands;
and the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son, ✠
and the Holy Spirit, come down upon us
and remain with us for ever. Amen.
The angel of the Lord brought tidings unto Mary. And she conceived by the Holy Ghost.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord. Be it unto me according to thy word.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
And the Word was made flesh. And dwelt amongst us.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now,
and at the hour of our death.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God. That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let us pray. We beseech thee, O Lord, pour thy grace into our hearts,
that as we have known the Incarnation of thy Son Jesus Christ
by the message of an angel, so by his Cross and Passion
we may be brought unto the glory of his Resurrection;
through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
Let us bless the Lord.
Thanks be to God.
