Friday after Ash Wednesday

We pray through a brief Lenten liturgy and reflect on how Christ is truly present in the proclamation of Scripture at Mass. We explore why the Word is living and active, how to reverence holy books, and simple ways to listen without distraction.

• opening prayers and morning offering
• Christ present in the Liturgy of the Word
• Scripture as living and active, not static
• signs of reverence such as candles and incense
• handling Bibles and holy books with care
• practical ways to listen and avoid distraction
• examen questions for personal conversion
• closing invocations and intercessions

If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lent and Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com
The Cristeros app is available in the Apple app and Google Play Store
More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org

Chapters

• 0:03 Opening Prayers And Offering
• 1:01 Christ Present In The Word
• 2:30 Reverence For Scripture In Liturgy
• 3:19 Personal Response And Examination
• 4:15 Closing Prayers And Intentions
• 4:15 Lent Resources And App Invitation

Transcript

Christ Present In The Word

Reverence For Scripture In Liturgy

Personal Response And Examination

Closing Prayers And Intentions

Lent Resources And App Invitation

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Friday following Ash Wednesday. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. O Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer you my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings of this day, in union with the holy sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, for the remission of my sins, for the intentions of my family and friends, and in particular for the intentions of the Holy Father. Amen. Mass as an encounter with the Word. Jesus Christ is the Word of God made flesh. All that God has wanted to communicate to His people, He spoke in this one word. And He has nothing else to say, for in this one infinite word He has said everything. We hear in Scripture that this word is living and active. It is not a dead word that loses its effect as soon as it is spoken or written down. No, the word of God is sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. This word can strike to the heart and bring about change, conversion, transformation, and even life. It is this very word that we encounter at Mass. The Church teaches that Christ is present in his word, since it is he himself who speaks when the Holy Scriptures are read in the Church. This means that when the Scriptures are read in the sacred liturgy, it is not simply the lector reading them, it is Christ Himself speaking to us through this living and active word. It is Christ who proclaims the readings, inspires our hearts, corrects and teaches us, and calls us to higher things. As we will see later, this is why the Church has particular books for these readings, and even accompanies certain readings with extra signs of reverence like incense and candles. This also means that our own reading of the scriptures should be done well, both at Mass and in personal prayer, so that we do not treat the Word of God as anything less or as something passing. This applies as much to the technical aspects of proclaiming the sacred readings well as it does to our treatment of Bibles and holy books that contain the Word of God. For example, we should not easily throw things away that have God's Word in them. Instead, we should show them proper care and reverence, for God is present in His Word. Do you listen attentively to the readings at Mass, or do you easily allow for distraction? Do you treat your Bible with respect? Do you allow the Word of God at Mass and in prayer to change you? Is the Word of God given priority over the many other words we hear and say? All that I have and all that I am, I give to your hands, Jesus, through the heart of Mary, your blessed mother. Amen. Sacred heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. If you found this time of prayer and reflection fruitful and would like more opportunities to grow in your faith this Lent, consider joining the Cristeros and purchasing our Lent and Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available in the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.