March 2, 2004 - Tuesday, 1st Week of Lent

Word from God and Word to God

Readings:
Is 55:10-11; Ps 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-195;
Mt 6:7-15 (Listen to MP3 - Prayer)

Introduction

God speaks his word to people in many ways: first of all, his word-in-action, that is, his saving deeds; his words written down in the Bible again, more the language of action than of words; the words he speaks through other people, through prophets past and present, through human encounters. Above all, God speaks his living Word, Jesus Christ.

God’s word can be heard only and find resonance when it takes on flesh and blood – when it becomes incarnate – in the lives of people and vibrates with human thought and feeling. If so, one can respond to it with prayerful words of recognition and with the living prayer of deeds. Prayer is our echo to God’s word and so are our deeds.

In this eucharistic celebration God speaks his word to us in the readings and he gives us his living Word in the eucharistic bread.

Opening Prayer

Lord God,
you speak your mighty word to us,
but we cannot hear it
unless it stirs our lives
and is spoken in human terms.
Keep speaking your word to us, Lord,
and open our hearts to it,
that it may bear fruit in us
when we do your will
and carry out what we are sent to do.
We ask you this through your living Word,
Jesus Christ our Lord.

Scripture Readings

First Reading: Is 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.

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 34:4-5, 6-7, 16-17, 18-195

R (18b) From all their distress God rescues the just.

Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R From all their distress God rescues the just.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R From all their distress God rescues the just.

The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
R From all their distress God rescues the just.

When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
R From all their distress God rescues the just.

Gospel Reading: Mt 6:7-15 (Listen to MP3 - Prayer - Mt 6:5-15)

Jesus said to his disciples, "When you pray, do not use a lot of words, as the pagans do, for they hold that the more they say, the more chance they have of being heard. Do not be like them. Your Father knows what you need, even before you ask him.

This, then, is how you should pray:
Our Father in heaven,
holy be your name,
your kingdom come
and your will be done,
on earth as in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts
just as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us.
Do not bring us to the test
but deliver us from the evil one.
"If you forgive others their wrongs, your Father in heaven will also forgive yours. If you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you either."

Commentary

ST. Cyprian (c. 200-258) on the Our Father, "We do not say 'My Father, who art in heaven,' nor 'Give me this day my daily bread'; nor does each one ask that only his or her own debt should be forgiven…. Our prayer is public and common; and when we pray we pray not for one but for the whole people, because we the whole people are one….

'Hallowed be thy name': not that we wish God to be sanctified by our prayers, but that we ask to keep his name holy in us…. 'Thy Kingdom come': we beg that God's Kingdom be revealed to us. For when did God not reign? We pray for his coming in us. 'Thy will be done on earth': God may do what he wishes, who can hinder him in that? But we pray that we may be able to fulfill his will in us…. 'Give us this day our daily bread': Christ is the bread of life; we are in Christ and receive the Eucharist daily as the food of salvation. We should seek only our food and keep. 'Forgive us our trespasses': We have asked for food. Now we ask for forgiveness, so that we who are fed by God may be able to live in him. 'Lead us not into temptation': The enemy can do nothing against us without God's permission…. Praying [this petition] reminds us of our inconstancy and weakness. 'Deliver us from evil': Having said that, there is nothing left to ask for…. Who can fear this life, if God is his life-guardian?"

General Intercessions

–   That God’s word may be echoed in us in our prayers and in the good we do to others, we pray:

–   That we may be always close to God’s living Word, Jesus Christ, and that he may be the center of our life, we pray:

–   That we may be prayerful people, who pray not only for our personal needs but also for those of the Church and of the world, we pray:

Prayer over the Gifts

Our Father in heaven,
you speak to us your living Word,
your Son Jesus Christ,
and you give him to us as bread to be eaten.
With him, may we respond to you
with words of prayer on our lips and in our hearts
and with the living words
of our loyal service and love.
May this be our offering to you today
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Prayer after Communion

Our Father in heaven,
we praise your holy name
for speaking to us in the scriptures
and in your Son Jesus Christ.
May your word not return empty to you,
but give us the strength of your Son
to let our deeds speak to you,
that what we have promised and offered in prayer
may become real in our lives.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.

Blessing

God’s word must take shape in our lives. What we have heard, we must live. God’s Son must become visible and speak in what we are and do. May God bless you all for this, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

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