Reading 1 Is 55:10-11
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, 18-19
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.
Verse Before the Gospel Mt 4:4b
One does not live on bread alone,but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Gospel Mt 6:7-15
“In praying, do not babble like the pagans,
who think that they will be heard because of their many words.
Do not be like them.
Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This is how you are to pray:
Our Father who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name,
thy Kingdom come,
thy will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
and forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
“If you forgive men their transgressions,
your heavenly Father will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive men,
neither will your Father forgive your transgressions.”
MY DAD LOVES ME
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. This is how you are to pray: 'Our Father...' " –Matthew 6:8-9
The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert where the devil questioned whether He was God the Father's beloved Son (see Mt 3:17; 4:3, 6). Jesus overcame these temptations, and the Holy Spirit cried out in Jesus' heart: "Abba" (Father) (Gal 4:6; Rm 8:15).
This Lent, as we imitate Jesus' forty-day desert fast, we also wish to emerge from the Lenten desert confirmed by the Spirit in our Father's love for us. On Easter Vigil and on Easter Sunday, at every Mass in every Catholic Church in the world, the Church will ask us the question, "Do you believe in God the Father?" If we've had a good Lent, we will answer that question "I do." With unprecedented conviction, we will proclaim that we know that our Father loves us as His adopted sons and daughters.
In this first week of Lent, have you already begun to be confirmed in your Father's love for you? Is the prayer of your heart, "Our Father Who art in heaven"? (see Mt 6:9) Are your secret almsgiving, praying, and fasting resulting in God the Father making no secret of His love for you as His child? Lent is about knowing our Father's love. Let Abba love you.
| PRAYER: | Abba, I trust You. |
| PROMISE: | "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." –Is 55:11 |
| PRAISE: | When John forgave his abusive father and reconciled with him, he discovered a new depth in his relationship with God the Father as well. |
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