Welcome to St. Ignatius Chapel. Today we celebrate the 1st Sunday of Lent. Our celebrant today is Jesuit Fr. Russell Pollitt SJ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son,
and of the Holy Spirit. [Amen.] The grace and the peace of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. [And with your spirit.] And welcome as we come together to celebrate
this first Sunday of Lent, a time in which we prepare to celebrate the great Paschal
mystery, the Passion, the death, and the resurrection of Jesus. We come before the Lord knowing that we are
weak and that we are sinful, so let’s ask the Lord now for mercy and forgiveness. You were sent to heal the contrite of heart. Lord, have mercy. [Lord, have mercy.] You came to call sinners. Christ, have mercy. [Christ, have mercy.] You are seated at the right hand of God the
Father Almighty where you intercede for us. Lord, have mercy. [Lord, have mercy.] May Almighty God have mercy on us, forgive
us our sins and bring us to life everlasting. [Amen.] And let us pray:
Grant, almighty God, 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. We ask this 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 ever. [Amen.] A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy. Moses said to the people, “The priest shall
take the basket of first fruits from your hand, and set it down before the altar of
the Lord your God. And you shall make response before the Lord
your God, ‘A wandering Aramean was my father; and he went down into Egypt and sojourned
there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians treated us harshly, and
afflicted us, and laid upon us hard bondage. Then we cried to the Lord the God of our fathers,
and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression;
and the Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and outstretched arm, with great
terror, with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land,
a land flowing with milk and honey. And behold, now I bring the first of the fruit
of the ground, which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And you shall set it down before the Lord
your God, and worship before the Lord your God.” The word of the Lord. [Thanks be to God.] Be with me, O Lord, when I am in distress. [Be with me, O Lord, when I am in distress.] He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High,
and abides in the shade of the Almighty, says to the Lord, “My refuge, my stronghold,
my God in whom I trust!” [Be with me, O Lord, when I am in distress.] Upon you no evil shall fall, no plague approach
your tent. For you has he commanded his angels to keep
you in all your ways. [Be with me, O Lord, when I am in distress.] They shall bear you upon their hands, lest
you strike your foot against a stone. On the lion and the viper you will tread,
and trample the young lion and the serpent. [Be with me, O Lord, when I am in distress.] Since he clings to me in love, I will free
him, protect him, for he knows my name. When he calls on me, I will answer him; I
will be with him in distress; I will deliver him, and give him glory. [Be with me, O Lord, when I am in distress.] A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to
the Romans. Brothers and sisters: What does the Scripture
say? The word is near you, on your lips and in
your heart (that is, the word of faith which we preach); because, 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. For man believes with his heart and so is
justified, and he confesses with his lips and so is saved. 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 and bestows his riches upon all who call upon him. For, “everyone who calls upon the name of
the Lord will be saved.” The word of the Lord. [Thanks be to God.] Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory. Man does not live on bread alone, but on every
word that comes from the mouth of God. Praise to you, O Christ, King of eternal glory. The Lord be with you. [And with your spirit] A reading from the holy Gospel according to
Luke. [Glory to you, O Lord.] At that time: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit,
returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit for forty days in the wilderness, tempted
by the devil. And he ate nothing in those days; and when
they were ended, he was hungry. And the devil said to him, “If you are the
Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘Man
shall not live by bread alone.’” And the devil took him up, and showed him
all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, “To you I will
give all this authority and their glory; for it has been delivered to me, and I give it
to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it shall all
be yours.” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and him alone shall you serve.’” And he took him to Jerusalem, and set him
on the pinnacle 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 give his angels charge of you, to guard you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answered him, “It is written,
‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’” And when the devil had ended every temptation,
he departed from him until an opportune time. The Gospel of the Lord. [Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.] I have a friend who has a boat and he’s
very excited when he goes to spend time on his boat. And he described recently how he decided with
another companion to spend a night on this boat. And so they took this little boat out onto
the sea, and eventually, as the sun began to set his friend said to him, “Now we have
to put the anchor down and this is where we will be for the night.” And he says he was just a little bit nervous
because even though the anchor was down that boat tossed a little bit as it stood there. He says from time to time he went to look
overboard and check that that anchor was still down and had not come loose from the boat. And he describes how a big boat goes past
them, one that probably didn’t feel the movement of the sea, but as it passed them
this little boat rocks from side to side, and so he goes again to check the anchor. And so he didn’t have a very good night’s
sleep because he spent most of the night just making sure that that anchor was still anchoring
that boat. I wonder if this period of Lent is like that,
it’s a time for us to anchor or re-anchor ourselves. We live on a sea in many ways, life goes up
and down, and sometimes we are tossed and turned and sometimes it is calm. And during Lent we are given an opportunity
to re-anchor ourselves in the Lord. Lent is a period that invites us to find some
steadiness on the sea of life. And the Scriptures we hear on this first Sunday
of Lent seem to me to be a road map or a strategy or perhaps even advice to help us to re-anchor
ourselves in the Lord. They help us to steady ourselves. And I want to suggest to you this morning
that there are three invitations that are put before us. The first one comes from that book of Deuteronomy. The religious and the social and the political
life of Israel is in crisis. And in that small text that we heard this
morning from Deuteronomy, Israel is being called to renew themselves, to, so to speak,
re-anchor themselves, to reform themselves, so that they would get through the crisis
they are experiencing. And they are given instructions as on how
to do this. Moses instructs them to, first of all, recall
the journey that they have made. He says, “Look and see how God has been
faithful to you as you’ve made this journey.” And the third thing he says to them is take
the first of your fruits and offer them to the Lord. The best fruits of the harvest were normally
those that came first. And I wondered if in this time of Lent, we
too are not being invited to look at our own journeys over the last year since we last
celebrated the Passion and the death and resurrection of Jesus. Take time in these days to look back at our
own journeys. Take time to see how God has been faithful
to us in the journey of the last year, perhaps in ways that we do not normally notice unless
we step back and reflect. And I wonder in this time of Lent if we can
offer the Lord those first fruits, those best parts of ourselves so that we can be re-anchored
in God. Not the leftovers, not the parts of ourselves
that we think are needing God at this time, but the whole of ourselves, the best of ourselves. Can we offer that to the Lord? The second invitation comes from that Gospel
that we heard from Luke. We are told that Jesus goes into the wilderness
or some translations say a desert. And the desert is a place of solitude. It’s a place of minimal resources. It’s a place that is hot. It’s a place where you are exposed to the
elements, maybe in a way that we are not normally exposed to the elements. It’s a place where, if we pay attention,
we come to see how fragile and yet how beautiful life can be. Little creatures that we know nothing about
suddenly pop up in the desert from the sand, and so there’s a beauty in the desert. But we know too that there is a fragility
because of the scarcity. And Lent invites us to create our own wilderness,
to create our own desert, an intentional space, an intentional place of solitude. Lent invites us to practice solitude in a
way maybe we don’t normally practice solitude, maybe to live more minimally as we heard on
Ash Wednesday, to go back to the practice of fasting, to expose ourselves to the elements
of our own lives. Perhaps the things that we don’t normally
want to look at, the fragility and also the beauty of our own lives, of our own beings,
of the people that God has created when we look at ourselves in the mirror. Can you find a practice and a place of solitude
during this Lent? Maybe try to live a life that is more minimal,
more frugal? And can you really claim your own beauty and
yet recognize your fragility? And the third and final invitation is simply
the answer that Jesus gives to the tempter every time he speaks. Notice Jesus’ response to Satan. All Jesus says when Satan offers him whatever
he offers him is simply, “It is written.” It is written. He doesn’t speak on his own behalf. He uses Scripture to respond to Satan. He speaks directly to Satan using the authority
of God’s Word. I wonder if there’s an invitation for us
during this time of Lent to spend time becoming more familiar with God’s Word. Generally, dare I say it, Catholics are not
very familiar with the word of God. And I wonder if we are being invited to live
more conscious of God’s Word. Dare I even suggest for Catholics to read
God’s Word in the Scriptures daily during this time of Lent. It’s a wonderful opportunity to take something
like Luke’s Gospel and start reading from the beginning to the end, and become familiar
with that word during these days of Lent. That somehow we become more conscious and
allow the word of God to expose to us who we are and what God is calling us to be. I wonder in what way God is inviting you to
re-anchor your own life in this time of Lent, to re-anchor your spirit, to find God in a
way perhaps that you don’t normally find the Lord. The choice is yours. So let’s pray together now 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.] Let’s now bring our prayers, our needs and
the needs of our Church and the world before God. For all the followers of Christ: that Lent
may be a time of renewal and lead us all to a deeper and more authentic living of the
Christian life. Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us.] For the grace to enter the ‘wilderness’
of Lent: that we would not be afraid to enter into a place of solitude, a place of minimal
resources, so that we can focus on God alone during this time of Lent. Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us.] For all in leadership: that they would resist
the temptation to seek their own glory and seek instead to serve their brothers and sisters
with noble and generous hearts. Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us.] For all of us: that Lent would foster in us
a spirit of self-denial and make us, through this, more generous and loving towards others. Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us.] For a greater knowledge and dependence on
God’s word: that during Lent we would intentionally deepen our knowledge of and live from God’s
word in the Scriptures. Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us.] For our own intentions: let us take a moment,
in silence, to bring to the Lord what we seek in this time of Lent – the grace that we
need now. Lord hear us… [Lord, graciously hear us.] Lord our God, with gratitude we thank you
for this season of Lent, and we pray now that as we lay these our prayers before you, you
give us what we need so that we may live it well, and in so doing draw closer to you. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. [Amen.] Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have this bread to offer: fruit of the earth, work of our
human hands, it will become for us the bread of life. [Blessed be God for ever.] Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for through your goodness we have this wine to offer: fruit of the vine, and work of our
human hands, it will become for us our spiritual drink. [Blessed be God for ever.] Let’s pray, sisters and brothers, that our
sacrifice and the sacrifice and efforts of our lives may be acceptable to God the almighty
Creator. [May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your
hands for the praise and glory of God’s name, for our good and the good of all God's
holy Church.] Give us the right dispositions, O Lord, we
pray, to make these offerings, for with them we celebrate the beginning of this venerable
and sacred time. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. [Amen.] The Lord be with you. [And with your spirit.] Lift up your hearts. [We lift them up to the Lord.] Let us give thanks to the Lord our God. [It is right and just.] 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 fast 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: 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.] You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have
created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ,
by the power and the working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them
holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the
sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name. Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you:
by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration,
that they may become the Body and Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command
we celebrate these mysteries. For on the night he was betrayed he himself
took bread, and, giving you thanks, he broke the bread, said the blessing and gave it to
his disciples, saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR
THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU. In a similar way, when supper was ended, he
took the cup and giving you thanks, he said the blessing and gave the cup to his disciples,
saying: TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT,
FOR THIS IS THE CUP OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL
BE POURED FOR YOU AND FOR ALL FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME. The mystery of faith. When we eat this Bread and drink this Cup,
we proclaim your Death, O Lord, until you come again. Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial
of the saving Passion of your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, and
as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living
sacrifice. Look, we pray, upon the offering of your Church
and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to
yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled
with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ. May he make of us an eternal offering to you,
so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most Blessed
Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with Saint Joseph, her Spouse, with your blessed Apostles and
glorious Martyrs and with all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence
we rely for unfailing help. May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation,
we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity
your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant Francis our Pope, Buti our Bishop, the Order
of Bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own. Listen graciously to the prayers of this family,
you have called before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father,
gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the world. To our departed brothers and sisters and to
all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your
kingdom. There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness
of your glory through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good. Through him, and with him, and in him, O God,
almighty Father, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, all glory and honour is yours, for
ever and ever. [Amen.] It was the Lord Jesus who taught us to call
God our Father and so we pray: 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;
and 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.] 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 for ever and ever. [Amen.] The peace of the Lord be with you always. [And with your spirit.] Let’s take a moment now to offer those around
you a sign of God’s peace, and if you alone just simply pray for peace at this time. And we pray:
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.] Behold Jesus, the Lamb of God, behold him
who takes away the sin of the world. How blessed are we who are called to share
in 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.] Although you cannot receive physical communion
with us now, we invite you into a moment of spiritual communion. The great medieval theologian, St. Thomas
Aquinas, defined spiritual communion as: “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy
Sacrament”, and “a loving embrace as though we had already received him.” His words are echoed by the great mystic,
and fellow doctor of the church, St. Teresa of Avila, who wrote: “When you do not receive
Communion, and do not attend Mass, you can make a spiritual communion which is a most
beneficial practice. By it, the love of God will be greatly impressed
on you.” At this moment we invite you to focus on Christ,
and your longing for union with him. Express your desire to feel his grace coursing
through you, giving you strength and courage, particularly in these difficult times. In your desiring union you are united with
us, and to Christ. In this moment we experience the reality that
is already here. Let us pray. Renewed now with heavenly bread, by which
faith is nourished, hope increased, and charity strengthened, we pray, O Lord, 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. We ask this through Christ, our Lord. [Amen.] The Lord be with you. [And with your spirit.] Bow your heads and pray for God’s blessing. May bountiful blessings, O Lord, we pray,
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.] And may the blessing of Almighty God, the
Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit come down upon you and remain with you now and
always. [Amen.] Go now in the peace of Christ. [Thanks be to God.]
