-
LENT 2021 Resources
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Pope Francis Lent 2021 Message
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem” (Mt 20:18)
Lent: a Time for Renewing Faith, Hope and Love
Click Here for Full Message
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Daily Reflections
Daily Meditations from Bishop Robert Barron at Word on Fire
2021 Lenten Gospel Reflections
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Nothing will transform your life so completely, absolutely, and forever like really learning how to pray. That’s why this year’s BEST LENT EVER journeys through Matthew Kelly’s latest book, I Heard God Laugh: A Practical Guide to Life’s Essential Daily Habit.
Beginning on Ash Wednesday and continuing through all forty days of Lent, you will receive a daily email with a short video to help you reconnect with yourself and your God.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Inspirational Sermons
Bishop Robert Barron offers five sermons on the spiritual discipline we must cultivate in the Lenten season, a discipline centered on Christ. These meditations cover topics such as finding our identity in God, prayer as the key to mission, our thirst for God, how to end our alienation from God, and how to embrace the way of happiness joyfully.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
PRAYER
The Seven Penitential Psalms and the Songs of the Suffering Servant
The Seven Penitential Psalms
(Links are provided to the Psalms, an audio recording, and a reflection on each one.)
During times when we wish to express repentance and especially during Lent, it is customary to pray the seven penitential psalms. The penitential designation of these psalms dates from the seventh century. Prayerfully reciting these psalms will help us to recognize our sinfulness, express our sorrow and ask for God’s forgiveness.
Within the Book of the Prophet Isaiah we encounter four poetic sections known as the Songs of the Suffering Servant. The specific identity of this Servant of the Lord remains the topic of scholarly debate. Perhaps it refers to the prophet Isaiah himself, perhaps the entire nation of Israel, or possibly the promised Messiah. Christian faith sees these prophetic utterances fulfilled in the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Lord.
In brief:- The first song introduces God’s Servant who will establish justice upon the earth
- The second song, spoken in the Servant’s own voice, tells of being selected from the womb to become God’s mouthpiece and help renew the nation
- In the third song, we learn of the abuse and derision the Servant endured at the hands of his enemies
- The fourth song proclaims the salvific value of the Servant’s innocent suffering that will justify many and blot out their offenses.
Because of the Christian identification of the Suffering Servant with Jesus, the four Servant Songs become a way of encountering the Lord during this Lenten Season. Not only do they give us a sense of the commitment and endurance that characterized his messianic ministry, but they become a way of touching the bruised face of the Messiah, of hearing the resolute determination that sustained him in the midst of trial, and of rejoicing with him in God’s ultimate vindication of his calling and service.Lectio Divina is a form of meditation which dates back to early monastic communities. It involves focused reading of Scripture (lectio), meditation on the Word of God (meditatio), contemplation of the Word and its meaning in one's life (contemplatio) and prayer (oratio). Lectio Divina may be shared in group settings or used by individuals. Click here for more information.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
DEVOTIONALS
Reflections on the Stations of the Cross
The Stations of the Cross began as the practice of pious pilgrims to Jerusalem who would retrace the final journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary.
Later, for the many who wanted to pass along the same route, but could not make the trip to Jerusalem, a practice developed that eventually took the form of the fourteen stations currently found in almost every church.
A variety of resources on the Stations of the Cross can be found here at USCCB.
A Contemporary Scriptural Stations of the Cross can be found here at USCCB.
This Stations of the Cross Reflections can be downloaded as a PDF here.
Stations of the Cross with Bishop Robert Barron – Word on Fire Ministries
This Stations of the Cross Reflections can be downloaded as a PDF here.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Cluster 11 Youth Stations of the Cross
A Scriptural Way of the Cross for Lent in a Contemporary Style
March 12, 2021 @ 4:00 pm
Zoom Information Coming Soon
If you are a young person interested in being part of this event,
please contact:
Wendy Johnston, Cluster 11 Coordinator
Phone: 667-2342, Ext. 19
Email: wendy.johnston@portlanddiocese.org
