One of the restrictions the Government and the health authorities placed on Churches was, not allowing the assembly to attend daily celebration of the Eucharist. Hence, Mass takes place each day on webcam and people attend virtually. This is a cause of great upset to many people. Others see this restriction is in the best interest of safety. However, this does not deter God’s faithful from praying or from taking more time to reflect on the Liturgy of the Word.

Parish churches for the most part are open after Mass for private prayer. Many people go there daily to pray, while many pray at home. They light a candle at one shrine or another, sit quietly praying, and remain attentive to God. Some sit and allow God to gaze on them. The fruit of this quiet prayer is a sense of peace and one’s response can only be one of gratitude.

Today, the reading proclaimed at Mass is from the prophet Daniel (Dan 3: 25, 34-43). It is a great model for prayer. Azariah with his three friends is condemned to death and he is in great distress. He stands before God knowing his great need. He pleads with God asking him ‘not to abandon us forever… and not to withdraw favour from us.’  Azariah recalls the covenant God made with his people. He tells God why he feels abandoned because ‘we have at this time no leader, no prophet, no prince…no place where we can offer first fruits and win your favour.’ Azariah offers a contrite heart to the Lord. He then prays that it might be God’s will that they follow him wholeheartedly. Azariah recognises the importance of trust in God. He identifies God as gentle and compassionate and asks that God might ‘treat us gentle, as you yourself are gentle and very merciful.’

Just as God is gentle and merciful, he also desires that we would treat one another gently and with mercy.

The Gospel proclaimed today (The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant, Mt 18:21-35) calls God’s people to forgive others if they have offended them, just as God forgives us. Each time the faithful pray the Our Father they say, ‘forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.’ In this Gospel, we reflect on the reaction of the king to the servant who failed to forgive.  In this parable, Jesus tells us that he will treat us in the same way as the king treated the unforgiving servant if we do not forgive those who offend us.

During this Lenten season, God asks us to turn away from sin and love with all our hearts. The way we do this is through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. God will give us the courage to forgive. We can pray the Prayer for Forgiveness.

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St Frances of Rome. She is buried in the Church of Santa Maria in Rome. Every year in Rome outside the church police cars, buses, ambulances and cars assemble to receive the blessing of St Frances. She is the patron saints of motorists. Frances lived in the 15^th century when there were no cars but she had great devotion to her guardian angel.

Frances suffered greatly in her life. Her entire family died in a civil war. She strongly and faithfully believed that her guardian angel was always at her side.  After her family died, she spent her life helping people who lived in poverty. She opened her house as a makeshift hospital and a shelter for people who were homeless.  She established a Christian community of women to help her. Before her husband Lorenzo died, his last words to Frances were, ‘I feel as if my whole life has been one beautiful dream of purest happiness. God has given me so much in your love.’

VERITAS publications offers free online resources to support the themes and lessons on Forgiveness and the Sacrament of Reconciliation. These include the Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-books. The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Mt 18:21-35) and accompanying resources are in the Sixth Class/P8  Grow in Love/ I nGrá Dé programme (Theme 3 Lesson 2). Access available at;

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INVITATION

READ

• From the Bible or from Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-book read the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Mt 18:21-35)

PRAY

• Pray the Prayer for Forgiveness/Prayer after Forgiveness
• Pray to the Guardian Angel/ Paidir chuig an Aingeal Coimhdeachta
• St Frances of Rome, pray for us.

THINK

• If someone hurts your feelings, how would you like that person to show they were sorry?
• If you hurt someone’s feelings and you wanted to show you are sorry what would you do?

DO

• Find out some facts about St Frances of Rome.

Sr Anne Neylon

Have you noticed that during the pandemic the Governments and health authorities asked citizens internationally to take very simple measures to stay safe? What advice did people receive?  It was simply to wash hands, maintain a social distance, wear a mask, and stay within a restricted boundary. People discovered that simple rules were difficult to keep. Money cannot buy medicine to heal Covid-19. Thank God, with the work of the scientists and research, the world is procuring vaccines. The challenge is to ensure that there is an equal distribution of vaccines among all countries.

Today’s reading from 2 Kings 5, proclaims the healing of Naaman’s leprosy.  Naaman, a Syrian, and army commander of the King of Aram had a disease called leprosy.  He had a servant who was in a position to help. She suggested that Naaman go to the prophet in Samaria and he would cure his leprosy. Naaman told the King of Aram what the young girl said and the king told him to go to the prophet. Naaman set out and brought many expensive gifts with him to pay for his healing. The king read the letter Naaman brought and he was indignant. He said, ‘I am not God to give life or death.’  Elisha, the prophet knew that the king was distressed and he sent a message to him. Elisha then sent a message to tell Naaman to go to the river Jordan and wash seven times and he promised healing for him. Naaman was angry because of the simple thing the prophet asked him to do.  His servants challenged him. Nevertheless, Naaman went down and bathed himself in the river as Elisha ordered. Healing took place. At this, Naaman realised that there was no other God anywhere in the world but in Israel.

There is much to learn from this reading today. Notice that Naaman received no great privileges or special attention.  Naaman expected some great gesture of cleansing. All he did was simply have the water flow through his skin. Naaman’s healing is a gift. There was no need to bring presents to the king. The Lord gives as he wills.  All God asks is that we appreciate his love and mercy. In this Scripture passage there is a reminder of baptism, in the flowing of water, which heals the baptised person from original sin.

Baptism is part of the preparation for Easter because it is then that we renew our Baptismal promises and our Baptismal call. Catholics do that each year at the Easter Vigil. Confirmation candidates also renew their Baptismal promises when receiving the sacrament of Confirmation. The Baptismal promises take the form of question and answer. In saying the promises, we renew and refresh our belief in God. The catechumens prepare also for Baptism.

Today we celebrate International Women’s Day, a day to celebrate the achievements of women and raise awareness about gender equality. Today we pray for all people, men and women that they will respect the dignity of one another. We pray that all people will adhere to the Declaration of Human Rights so to build a world of justice, love and compassion.  We remember Mary, Mother of God who models gratitude to God in praising God for the great things God did for her. We pray for those who work to raise the dignity of others daily.

Today, the Church celebrates the memorials of St John of God and St Senan.

VERITAS publications provide online resources for the theme of Baptism. These and the Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-books are available free of charge on the Grow in Love/ I nGrá Dé website.

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INVITATION

READ

• From your Bible read the story ‘Naaman healed of leprosy’ (2Kings 5:1-15)
• Can you find the story in the New Testament of where Jesus cleansed the 10 lepers?
• From your Bible or your Grow in Love /I nGrá Dé e-book, read the story of Jesus’ Baptism (Matt 3.13-17. Mark 1.9-11. Luke 3.21-22).

FIND OUT

• Find out some facts about St John of God, who devoted his life to the poor and the sick. Find out about St Senan, an Irish saint who was born near Kilrush, Co Clare.

THINK

• Which rules do you find most difficult to keep during the pandemic?
• Think about the great things that God did for Mary, his Mother
• Why is it important to celebrate International Women’s Day?

CHAT AND VISIT

• Chat to your family about the experience of your Baptism. If you were baptised in your parish Church, your family might like to visit the Church, see the baptismal font, bless themselves and say a prayer of thanks to God.

PRAY

• The Apostles’ Creed/ Cré na nAspal
• Hail Mary/ ‘Sé do bheatha a Mhuire
• The Magnificat
• St John of God, pray for us
• St Senan, Pray for us.

Sr Anne Neylon

Two words in popular culture are ‘jealousy’ and ‘envy’. Behaviour out of envy or jealousy, if not corrected can leave devastating scars on human relationships. It is natural for people to feel envious and jealous from time to time. However, it is not the feeling of jealousy or envy that causes harm but a person’s behaviour as a result of feeling such. There is a difference between envy and jealousy.  An envious person wants something that someone else possesses. Jealousy relates to feelings in human relationships. Envy relates to someone’s achievement or possessions. Some feelings associated with jealousy and envy include resentment, feeling threatened, desire for revenge and possession, suspicion or anger. Today’s Scripture deals with envy.

Films and books sometimes reveal characters who are envious or jealous. Can you think of any?

We need to acknowledge envy and jealousy in our daily lives and learn how to deal appropriately with them. Let us always be thankful for what we have ourselves, be satisfied, and acknowledge the unique giftedness of other people.

The reading proclaimed at Mass today (Gen 37:3-4, 12-13, 17-28) reveals how envious Joseph’s brothers were of him. Joseph’s Dad had a special coat made for him with long sleeves. The brothers hated Joseph because their Dad loved Joseph more than them. They were envious of him.  They made a plot to kill Joseph. One of the brothers Reuben tried to save him from the violent brothers who wanted to kill him. The brothers listened to Reuben, as far as there was no blood shed. However, they seized Joseph, took off his coat and threw him into an empty well. They decided not to kill Joseph but sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty silver pieces. They took Joseph to Egypt.  The brothers acted out of their envy by plotting to kill Joseph.

The Gospel (Mt 21:33-43. 45-46) proclaims a parable that Jesus told the chief priests and the elders of the people. He told them how the envious nature of the tenants caused them to kill the landowner’s son so they could seize his inheritance. When Jesus told this parable, the chief priests and scribes wanted to kill him. Jesus knew this is what they wanted to do with him. However, they were afraid because the crowds who were in their midst, knew that Jesus was a prophet.

Both these stories relate to Jesus’ life. Jesus’ enemies sold him for a few pieces of silver and sent him to his death. God’s people reflect on Jesus’ imminent death during the Lenten season as they prepare for the events of the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus.

How can a person deal with jealousy or envy? A person can reflect on their own gifts and talents and say thanks to God for them. They can pray with gratitude like Mary, Mother of God for the good things that God gives them. God is generous and loves each person unconditionally. The psalmist advises God’s people to trust always in God. Throughout the Bible, we read about many people who placed their trust in God. Can you think of any of those people?

When we act from an envious or jealous nature, we can pray to God and ask God’s mercy. Then we can say sorry for hurting feelings, show kindness to others and ourselves. We can also forgive those who hurt us.

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St Kieran. He was born in Cape Clear, Co Cork. He travelled to the Continent where he received the sacraments of Baptism and Holy Orders. He returned to his father’s territory in Ossory, where he lived as a hermit. Later some disciples joined him and Saigir became a well-known monastery.

VERITAS publications provide free online resources linked with these themes of gratitude and trust.  Stories, prayers and psalms are available in the Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-book.

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INVITATION

PRAY

• Our Father/An Phaidir
• Lamb of God/A Uain Dé
• A Thiarna, déan trócaire. A Chríost déan trócaire.
• Pray to St Kieran by saying, St Kieran, pray for us.

READ

• From your Bible you can read verses from the story of Joseph in Genesis (Gen 37: 3-4, 12-13, 17-28).
• The Parable of the Tenants (Mt 21: 33-43, 45-46).

DO

• Today you might watch the musical ‘Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dream Coat.’
• Talk to someone in your family today about things for which you are thankful.

Sr Anne Neylon

The Trócaire Lenten Campaign 2021 focuses on two families displaced by war in Sudan. This is not the only place where such atrocities are currently happening internationally.  War brings violence and poverty. War infringes on the human rights of people and Trócaire describes the situation of these displaced families, ‘Years of war have nearly taken everything from their families and it’s not just.’

Awut recalls the painful trek to escape terrible violence in South Sudan. She said, ‘The experience was horrible. My children’s feet were swollen and we were weak with exhaustion. We were fleeing for our lives.’

Can anyone imagine how a mother feels when her children are subject to such suffering? However, though there is tremendous suffering, there is light at the end of the tunnel. People in their own suffering compassionately share the burdens of others, bringing hope and relief to the situation.

The reading proclaimed at Mass today from the prophet Jeremiah (Jer 18:18-20) tells how his enemies tried to ‘concoct a plot against him.’ They did not like Jeremiah because he was a prophet and when he spoke on behalf of God, they refused to listen. The people did not like what they heard. Jeremiah was faithful to God and God’s message. Jeremiah knew they wanted to destroy him and were ‘digging a pit for me.’ Jeremiah appeals to God, asking God to remember how he had pleaded on their behalf. He wanted God to save the people.

Hence, Psalm 30: 17 proclaims at Mass ‘Save me in your love, O Lord.’ This prayer reminds God’s people that salvation comes from God alone. The psalmist wants release from the ‘snares they have hidden’ and he turns to God for refuge. He knows that God will redeem him. The psalmist is afraid of the crowd who slander him and plot against him to kill him. Nevertheless, the psalmist trusts in God. He knows that God will deliver him from evil.

These readings prepare God’s people for Holy Week when we recall the passion and death of Jesus. Jesus knew he had to undergo suffering and death before God raised him to new life in the Resurrection. Jesus knew he was also facing a murderous conspiracy.

The Gospel (Mt 20: 17-28) proclaims the mother of Zebedee’s sons looking for a special place for her sons in heaven; one to sit at the right hand of Jesus in heaven and one to sit at his left hand. Jesus told her he could not do that for her or for them. He explained that anyone who wants such security in heaven must do the Father’s will while on earth, That meant they had to follow Jesus’ teaching on love and reach out in love to their neighbours. God sent Jesus to earth to lead a mission of service. His followers must do the same. Jesus served others by sharing the Good News, by forgiving sins, by feeding the hungry and by healing the sick. Eventually, he saved all the people forever by dying on the cross.  Disciples today continue to serve as Jesus did and live in the hope of eternal life with God.

During the Lenten season in the light of the Word of God, we reflect on what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. Discipleship invites us to take up our cross each day and face suffering as Jeremiah and Jesus did. Doing that, God assures the faithful that Jesus by his passion, death, and resurrection brought life, truth and love. Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus is the Light of the world.

VERITAS publications provides free online resources for the theme of Lent on the Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé website including the Children’s e-book in English and Irish. The current Lenten resources are available on the Trócaire website.

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INVITATION

PRAY

• Pray Hail Mary/ Sé do bheatha a Mhuire
• Lord have mercy/ A Thiarna déan trócaire

Christ have mercy/ A Chríost, déan trócaire

• A Uain Dé a thógann peacaí an domhain, déan trócaire orainn…

READ

• Read the stories of the families of Awut and Ajax on the Trócaire box. Where did light come for the families in their suffering?
• Find out where Ethiopia is on the map of Africa. Read about the war situation in that country also. Where is the light for the people of Ethiopia? How can we bring light to suffering?
• In your Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé book you might like to read the lesson on Lent.

DO

• Follow your Trócaire Lenten 2021 Calendar and you can choose to do as it says, ‘Phone a friend or relative and drop a coin in the Trócaire box for them.’
• Is there anyone you can help in your home today?

THINK

• Think about your Lenten promise. Is it easy to keep the promise you made? What makes it easy to keep a promise?

Sr Anne Neylon

To recognise and notice the beauty of nature is to experience the goodness and the generosity of God. In nature, we celebrate the power and love of God.  God gave the gift of life to all he created. God made humankind in his image and likeness but ‘that should not make us overlook the fact that each creature has its own purpose.’ Pope Francis writes in Laudato Si’ that ‘soil, water, mountains; everything is, as it were is a caress of God.’ (LS no. 84). Through the centuries, Church leaders and saints namely, the Canadian bishops, St John Paul II, the Japanese bishops, St Thomas Aquinas, St Brigid, St Catherine of Siena, St Francis of Assisi, the mystics and others praised the beauty of creation.

Today, many people praise the beauty of the natural world and want to maintain its beauty while others are reckless about the environment making it into a throwaway culture; dumping, polluting and disturbing the climatic system with devastating effects. During the Lenten season, we read the stories of Ajuk and Awut to understand what happens such peoples’ lives when human beings live selfishly and indiscriminately. We also see what happens when people show compassion and love.  Greta Thunberg is an advocate for climate justice and protection of the planet.

The Church celebrates the memorial of St David today. He is the patron saint of Wales where he lived as abbot and bishop in the sixth century. Many of the pupils David taught in Ireland became saints. He influenced monastic development here and he died around 601.

The Word proclaimed today at Mass comes from the prophet Daniel (Daniel 9:4-10). Daniel sees the beauty and generous love of God. Daniel praises God for keeping the covenant he made with humankind and praises God’s kindness for those who love God and keep the commandments. He contrasts that with the wickedness and betrayal of others. Daniel takes on himself the community aspect of sin, which is why some members of the community bear the look of shame. However, Daniel recognises to God alone belong ‘mercy and pardon.’ God wants to forgive everyone.  God calls Christians to take on the guilt and shame of the sin of the world. God’s people drifted from God’s call to love. During Lent God seeks our repentance. Jesus died on the cross to save us from our sins. He took on our guilt and shame. He is our Redeemer.

Psalm78 with its response from Psalm 102:10, proclaims the psalmist asking on the people’s behalf, ‘Do not treat us according to our sins, O Lord.’ The psalmist asks for compassion and forgiveness and promises to ‘give thanks to God forever and ever.’

Compassion is the key word proclaimed in the Gospel (Lk 6:36-38). Jesus asked the disciples to ‘be compassionate as your Father is compassionate.’ Jesus loves unconditionally and shows compassion always. We readily see this in the story of the Good Shepherd and in the miracles he worked- the feeding of the multitudes, the healing of people who were blind, deaf and lame and the people whose sins he forgave. Jesus also teaches the disciples not to judge or condemn others but to forgive and be generous. Jesus taught by words and example. The Holy Spirit teaches disciples to follow Jesus’ way of love.

God’s people learn lessons from the readings today about love and respect, about playing their part in accepting the sin and shame of the world, about keeping the commandments and about repentance.

These themes of love and respect for God and his creation and the mission of discipleship are woven through the Grow in Love /I nGrá Dé Religious Education programme for Catholic primary schools. VERITAS publications gives free access to the online resources including the Children’s Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-book to support the themes and lessons.

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INVITATION

READ

• Read Psalm 148 from your Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-book or your Bible and think about how every created thing can give praise and thanks to God
• Read the story of David and Goliath from your Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-book or from your Bible
• From your Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-book, read Mary’s prayer of thanks to God in her Magnificat
• Read the story of the family on the Trócaire box. If you haven’t got a trócaire box you can collect one in the Church

REFLECT AND PRAY

• What is similar between your family life and Ajax and Awut’s family life?
• How might all citizens help Trócaire in its work?
• What is your favourite prayer?
• Invite your family to pray the Our Father/An Phaidir
• St David, pray for us.

FIND

• Find the country of Sudan in the continent of Africa. Do you recognise any other countries in Africa? Do you know anyone who has relatives living in Africa?
• Find yourself doing one compassionate act today. Compassion is more than kindness. A person is compassionate when he/she feels in their heart the sadness and pain of people and then reaches out to help them
• Find out about Greta Thunberg’s work for climate change and climate justice in your Grow in Love/I nGrá Dé e-book

Sr Anne Neylon