Wednesday in the Third Week of Lent

We reflect on why the Gospel is the high point of the liturgy of the Word and how reverence helps us listen when Christ speaks. We walk through the signs, ask probing questions, and share simple practices to turn habit into encounter.

• opening prayers for Lent and daily offering
• why the Gospel holds primacy in the liturgy of the Word
• signs of reverence that teach attention and love
• questions to examine our listening and memory
• practical steps to prepare and respond
• closing prayers entrusting all to Jesus through Mary

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 Lenten Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com
The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store
More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org

Transcript

Opening Prayers Of Lent

SPEAKER_00 0:03

Wednesday in the third week of Lent. 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 ever shall be. World without end. 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. In the Gospel at Mass, the King is speaking to his people. We therefore rise to attention and hearken to the words of his mouth. The liturgy proposes many signs and symbols at this moment to help focus our prayer and reverence at this time. From the general instruction of the Roman Missal. The reading of the gospel constitutes the high point of the liturgy of the Word. The liturgy itself teaches the great reverence that is to be shown to this reading by setting it off from the other readings with special marks of honor, by the fact of which minister is appointed to proclaim it, and by the blessing or prayer with which he prepares himself, and also by the fact that through their acclamations the faithful acknowledge and confess that Christ is present and speaking to them, and stand as they listen to the reading, and by the mere fact of the marks of reverence that are given to the book of the Gospels. Consider these signs. The Gospel has a special blessing before its proclamation, that the minister, not just a lector, may do so worthily and well, with a clean heart and lips. It has its own special book and its own procession, in a way similar to a Eucharistic procession. There are candles and incense to show the very presence of Christ. The holy words of holy writ are even kissed at the end of the proclamation as a sign of love and devotion to these salvific words. We are clearly not just listening to a reader from the newspaper or the latest sports highlights. These are the words of the Word of the Lord, written and spoken for the glory of God and our salvation. Hearken, attend, listen, and stand ready. The King is here and speaks to you. Let not his words land on deaf ears. Do you attend to the gospel when it is proclaimed? Or can you barely remember what the passage was when you sit for the homily? Do you make the signs of the cross before the gospel to help the word sink in, or just make them out of habit? Do you listen to the gospel as though Christ is speaking it directly to you? Or are the words distant and meant for someone else? Do you allow your heart to be open to transformation, correction, and edification in the proclamation of the word? 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 Lenten Reflection booklet, now available on Amazon.com. The Cristeros app is available on the Apple app and Google Play Store. More information on the Cristeros can be found at theCristeros.org.