First Sunday of Lent. Mass March 6 2022

[Music] led by the spirit of our god we go to fast and pray with christ into the wilderness we join his paschal [Music] turn back your lives to me this is our kind and gracious god whose reign is liberty led by the spirit now sing praise to god the trinity the source of life the living word may flesh to set us free the spirit blowing where it will to make us friends of god this mystery far beyond our reach yet near in healing power [Music] in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit amen the grace and peace of god our father and the love of jesus christ our brother the communion of the holy spirit be with all of you and with your spirit sisters and brothers let us now prepare our hope our hearts to celebrate this eucharist but also this holy season of lent that we are beginning lord jesus you raise the dead to life in the spirit lord have mercy lord have mercy lord jesus you bring pardon and peace to the sinner christ have mercy christ have mercy lord jesus you bring light to those in darkness lord have mercy lord have mercy may almighty god have mercy on us forgive us our sins and bring us to life everlasting amen let us pray almighty god grant through the yearly observances of holy lent that we may grow in understanding of the riches hidden in christ and by worthy conduct pursue their effects through our lord jesus christ your son who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the holy spirit god forever and ever amen a reading from the book of deuteronomy moses spoke to the people saying the priest shall receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the lord your god then you shall declare before the lord your god my father was a wandering aramaian who went down to egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien but there he became a nation great strong and numerous when the egyptians maltreated and oppressed us imposing hard labor upon us we cried to the lord the god of our fathers and he heard our cry and saw our affliction our toil and our oppression he brought us out of egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm with terrifying power with signs and wonders and bringing us into this country he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey therefore i have now brought you the first fruits of the products of the soil which you o lord have given me and having set them before the lord your god you shall bow down in his presence the word of the lord thanks be to god be with me lord when i am in trouble be with me lord i pray be with me lord when i am in trouble be with me lord i pray [Music] you dwell in the shelter of the lord most high who abide in the shadow of our god [Music] say to the lord my refuge and fortress the god in whom i trust be with me lord when i am in trouble be with me lord i pray no evil shall be for you no pain come near for the angels stand close by your side guarding you always and bearing you gently watching over your life be with me lord when i am in trouble be with me lord i pray [Music] and those who cling to the lord live secure in god's love lifted high those who trust in god's name [Music] call on the lord who will never forsake you god will bring you salvation and joy bear with me lord when i am in trouble with me lord i pray be with me lord when i am in trouble be with me lord i pray [Music] a reading from the letter of saint paul to the romans brothers and sisters what does scripture say the word is near you in your mouth and in your heart that is the word of faith that we preach for if you confess with your mouth that jesus is lord and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead you will be saved for one believes with the heart and so is justified and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved for the scripture says no one who believes in him will be put to shame for there is no distinction between jew and greek the same lord is lord of all enriching all who call upon him for everyone who calls on the name of the lord will be saved the word of the lord and thanks be to god [Music] praise and honor to you o lord [Music] jesus christ [Music] [Music] one cannot live all bread alone but on every word comes forth from the mouth of god praise and honor to you o lord jesus [Music] the lord be with you this is a reading from the holy gospel according to luke glory to you lord filled with the holy spirit jesus returned from the jordan and was led by the spirit into the desert for 40 days to be tempted by the devil he ate nothing during those days and when they were over he was hungry the devil said to him if you are the son of god command this stone to become bread jesus answered him it is written one does not live on bread alone then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant the devil said to him i shall give you all this power and glory for it has been handed over to me and i may give it to whomever i wish all this will be yours if you worship me jesus said to him in reply it is written you shall worship the lord your god and him alone shall you serve then he led him to jerusalem and made him stand on the parapet of the temple and said to him if you are the son of god throw yourself down from here for it is written he will command his angels concerning you to guard you and with their hands they will support you lest you dash your foot against a stone jesus said to him in reply it also says you shall not put the lord your god to the test when the devil had finished every temptation he departed from him for a time the gospel of the lord praise to you lord jesus christ yogi bera was an american professional baseball catcher who later took on the roles of manager and coach he played 18 of his 19 season in major league baseball for the new york yankees and won 10 world series championships as a player more than any other player in major league baseball history besides his career in baseball yogi berra is fondly remembered for many of his famous and incredibly humorous sayings some of the most popular include when you come to a fork in the road take it pair up in threes you've got to be very careful if you don't know where you're going because you might not get there the future ain't what it used to be 90 of the game is half mental never answer an anonymous letter and two of my favorites always go to other people's funerals otherwise they won't go to yours and finally it's deja vu all over again it's this last one it's deja vu all over again that i think applies to the season we're beginning to celebrate lent how many lents have you been through 20 50 over 70 like me are you ready for this one will it be different or just the same old same old to answer this perhaps the best place to start is with the readings we have just heard the text from deuteronomy finds moses challenging the people to bring god the first fruits from their flocks and fields as an act of worship why because of what the lord has done it says the lord brought us out of egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm in the second reading from paul's letter to the romans he says if you confess with your lips that jesus is lord and believe in your heart that god raised him from the dead you will be saved god's gift of salvation is precisely that a gift then in the gospel we see the familiar scene of satan tempting jesus in the desert after his 40 days of fasting we hear satan's same old story tempting jesus with pleasure power and fame and we see jesus counter every one of satan's temptations with a proclamation of what god has already done and what god will continue to do what do all these readings tell us about lent they show no interest in what we can do for god but rather they all focus on what god has already done for us they call us not simply to repent of our sins but to open our hearts and our lives to god in faith all too often we approach lent i think with a focus on what we're going to do give up chocolate or beer reduce the number of hours we've spent on social media spend a little more time in prayer or reading the bible as if we are earnest enough and if so we will get a merit badge at easter the focus in other words is on us but perhaps this is the greatest temptation of satan to have us concentrate on ourselves for if our attention is on us then we can forget about the god whom we have heard about in the scriptures the god whose kingdom jesus came to establish and the god who gave us life and sustains us with every breath instead we can create god to be a god who can meet our needs as i have often quoted voltaire who said god created man in his image and likeness and man has been returning the favor ever since a contemporary writer jessica manning kimit puts it in less biblical terms when she writes this it is chilling to hear satan quote scripture he uses it to tempt even jesus himself and the temptation is one that is relevant the devil tries to make jesus believe that he can treat god as a vending machine that will dispense favors at his command this is a real and common temptation lots of us slip into treating jesus slip into trust treating god like this from time to time it makes god well comprehensible to us and it offers us some sense of consolation when our lives are challenging when we succeed at living out the demands of christian life we often hold an unspoken expectation that our faithful sacrifices will be rewarded there it is again that easter merit badge chemic continues but things that are true about god can easily become idols if we think they're the only thing there is about god when the devil tempts jesus and of course us too to commit essentially an act of adult idolatry it turns god into something god is not a puppet under our control a tame pet doing tricks at our command the devil continually allures with inadequate ideas of god so that we satisfied with a god that is too small will ease our pursuit of the god who is real now this last phrase is the only place where i might diverge from kimit's wonderful insights she refers to our pursuit of god whereas i think in fact if we look over the history of god's relationship with the people god created and continues to create in love it is god who is continually pursuing calling and reaching out to us and we are the ones who are consistently distancing ourselves isolating ourselves closing ourselves off to god's invitations to sharing life and love and that is the rationale for traditional latin disciplines of fasting prayer and works of charity to help us shed all of that insulation that we have wrapped around ourselves to keep god the true god the living god at a distance and so to avoid deja vu all over again this lenten season what can we do first concentrate not on what we can do for god but what god does for us turn away from sin in order to open our hearts more fully to god in faith practice acts of charity not to earn a merit badge but to open ourselves to the merit jesus christ has gained for us and mostly avoid putting ourselves first and instead center on god and others if we can focus on these things our lenten journey will be deeper and richer and fuller then we can testify that indeed the future ain't what it used to be together let's profess our faith 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 sin the resurrection of the body and life everlasting amen with confidence now let us pray for our needs the needs of the church and the needs of the whole world for the church that during lent the church will lead with transparent justice and compassion for this we pray lord hear our prayer for all in public office that they will be motivated by a sense of compassion and desire to care for vulnerable people for this we pray lord hear our prayer for health workers that they have time to rest and recover from their work that they be protected from the virus and that their work bears the fruit of healthy and grateful people and communities for this we pray lord hear our pray for all who have suffered the effects of war especially the people of the ukraine may they find refuge safety and peace for this we pray lord hear our prayer for all those suffering in body mind or spirit and for continued healing for all those who have received prayer shawls from our parish for them we pray lord hear our prayer for all those who have passed into new life this week john bargnasi jessica may and james wrath and for all those dearly departed who dwell in the peace of the eternal lord for them we pray lord hear our prayer for our personal needs and the intentions written in the parish book of prayers which we now offer in the silence of our heart for this we pray lord hear our prayer almighty god through our observance of lent help us to understand the meaning of your son's death and resurrection and teach us to reflect it in our lives we ask this through christ our lord amen [Music] lead us lord into the desert lead us through the wilderness through this journey we will follow for we long to see your face [Music] gracious god mercy is your name redeeming you give your life away gracious god we bless your holy name [Music] receiving love we give our lives away [Music] lord we hunger for your presence lord we're thirsting for your grace when consuming all but you lord all we gain is emptiness gracious god mercy is your name [Music] redeeming love you give your life away gracious god we bless your holy name receiving [Music] teach us lord who is our neighbor is it friend or enemy when we well come or condemn them is it you oh let us see gracious god mercy is your name redeeming love you give your life away gracious god we bless your holy name [Music] receiving love we give our lives away we give our lives away [Music] pray sisters and brothers that this our sacrifice will be acceptable to god the almighty father may the lord accept the sacrifice from our hands for the praise and glory of god's name for our goodness of all god's holy church oh lord give us the right dispositions to make these offerings for with them we celebrate the beginning of this venerable and sacred time through christ our lord r amen the lord be with you and with your spirit lift up your hearts let us give thanks to the lord our god it is right it is truly right and just our duty and our salvation always and everywhere to give you thanks lord holy father almighty and eternal god through christ our lord by abstaining forty long days from earthly food he consecrated through his past the pattern of our lenten observance and by overturning all the snares of the ancient serpent taught us to cast out the leaven of malice so that celebrating worthily the paschal mystery we might pass over at last to the eternal paschal feast and so with the company of angels and saints we sing the hymn of your praise as without end we acclaim [Music] 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 hosanna in the highest [Music] lord you are holy indeed the fount of all holiness make holy therefore these gifts by sending down your spirit upon them so that they may become for us the body and blood of our lord jesus christ at the time he was betrayed and entered willingly into his passion he took bread and giving thanks broke it and gave it to his disciples saying take this all of you and eat it this is my body which will be given up for you in a similar way when supper was ended he took the cup and once more giving thanks gave the cup to his disciples saying take this all of you and drink from it this is the cup of my blood the blood of the new and the everlasting covenant it will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven do this in memory of me the mystery of faith [Music] when we eat this bread and drink this cup we proclaim your death oh lord until you come again [Music] therefore as we celebrate the memorial of his death and resurrection we offer you lord the bread of life in this cup of salvation giving thanks that you have held us worthy to be in your presence and minister to you humbly we pray that partaking of the body and blood of christ we may be gathered into one by the holy spirit lord remember your church spread throughout the world and bring her to the fullness of charity together with francis our pope and michael our bishop and all who minister in your church and all your holy people remember also our sisters and brothers who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection and all who have died in your mercy welcome them into the light of your presence have mercy on us all we pray that with the blessed virgin mary mother of god and our mother and joseph her husband with the blessed apostles and all the saints who have pleased you throughout the ages we may merit eternal life and may praise and glorify you through your son jesus christ through him with him in him oh god almighty father in the unity of the holy spirit all glory and honor is yours forever and [Music] we join together now and pray with confidence for the coming of god's kingdom as jesus taught us 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 savior jesus christ for the kingdom the power and the glory are yours now and forever lord jesus christ you said to your apostles peace i leave you my peace i give you look not on our sins but on the faith of your church and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will who live and reign forever and ever amen and the peace of the lord jesus be with all of you and with your spirit let's safely share with each other a sign of the peace of christ [Music] you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us you take away the sins of the world have mercy on us you take away the sins of the world grants us peace [Music] behold the lamb of god behold him who takes away the sins of the world blessed are those who are called to the supper of the lamb lord i am not worthy that you should enter under my roof but only say the word and my soul shall be healed may the body and blood of christ keep us safe for eternal life amen though not physically present at this mass as the baptized we are intimately united as the body of christ as we participate in the spiritual holy communion [Music] you who dwell in the shelter of the lord who abide in his shadow for life say to the lord my refuge my rock in whom i trust and he will raise you up on heaven's wings bear [Music] make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand [Music] the snare of the fowler will never capture you and famine will bring you no fear under his wings your refuge his faithfulness your shield and he will raise you up on eagle's wings bear you walk the breath of dawn make you to shine like the sun [Music] and hold you in the palm of his hand for to his angels he's given a command to guard you in all of your ways upon their hands they will bear you up lest you dash your foot against the stone [Music] and he will raise you up on eagle's wings [Music] make you to shine like the sun and hold you in the palm of his hand and hold you hold you in the palm of his hand [Music] let us pray oh lord renewed now with heavenly bread by which faith is nourished hope increased and charity strengthened we pray that we may learn to hunger for christ the true and living bread and strive to live by every word which proceeds from your mouth through christ our lord r amen the lord be with you bow your heads and pray for god's blessing o lord may bountiful blessing come down upon your people that hope may grow in tribulation virtue be strengthened in temptation and eternal redemption be assured through christ our lord amen may almighty god bless you the father the son and the holy spirit amen and after our final hymn we'll be back with some brief announcements this mass is ended go in peace [Music] we belong to you oh god of our longing we belong to you [Applause] in our daily living dying and rising we belong to you [Music] in the waters of your mercy when the oil becomes the new souls united in the ministry [Music] we belong to you we belong to you [Music] to you in our daily living dying and rising we belong to you [Music] we are called to share your word lord in all we say and all we do as our journey moves us [Music] [Music] in our daily living dying and rising we belong to you we belong to you we belong to you [Music] well we're beginning to celebrate lent and we'll have lots of special things happening in the next few weeks the first ones coming up this monday march 7th at 7 p.m we're going to welcome the university of notre dame folk choir they're on their midwinter tour their early spring tour whatever it is we're their first stop they're going to go on to villanova and i think to new york city and a couple other places they're going to be performing a piece called the passion and it's by their director j.j wright a grammy award-winning musician who's also a native of buffalo so that's going to be at 7 pm this monday at st joseph university church and it's a pre-concert so if you're free please try to come it's really going to be a wonderful evening the other thing that's happening is that on all the weekend masses i think throughout all the parishes throughout the united states the american bishops have called us to take up a collection in support of the people of the uk of ukraine those who are refugees and those who are staying to fight there's so much need there there's so much pain there so you can either support it through your own parish or if you're not participating in your parish right now you can send a check to us but mark ukraine collection on it so it's clear what it's intended for and we will pass that on to uh catholic relief services so i think it was handling the whole collection so in the meantime stay well stay safe and god bless you and who may go up the mountain of the lord who can stand in his holy place the clean of hand and pure of heart who devoted their lives to him [Music] they may go you

Channel: St. Joseph University Parish

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Keywords: First Sunday Lent, St. Joseph University

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Length: 44min 25sec (2665 seconds)

Published: Sat Mar 05 2022