Creighton University's Online Ministries

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise."

Collect:
By your help, we beseech you, Lord our God,
may we walk eagerly in that same charity
with which, out of love for the world,
your Son handed himself over to death.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. *

The Readings:

Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33

Daily Meditation:
Inspired by his love, guided by his example,
change our selfishness into self-giving.
Today we celebrate the Third Scrutiny,
as we journey to the font with those preparing for Baptism.
We are in our last week before Holy Week.
It seems that there is so much left to do, to ask for, to be open to, to surrender, to change.
Jesus assures us that he is the “resurrection and the life,”
that if we place our faith in him, we will “never die.”
    “I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
     'Father, save me from this hour'?
     But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
     Father, glorify your name.”

Today we beg for the graces we need and desire this week.
We ask for courage in the journey ahead.

 [Learn more about the Scrutinies here.]

Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions
Let us praise our loving Redeemer, who gained for us this season of grace,
and pray to him, saying:
   Lord, create a new spirit in us.

Christ, our life, through baptism we were buried with you and rose to life with you,
 - may we walk today in newness of life.
Lord, you have brought blessings to all mankind,
 - bring us to share your concern for the good of all.
May we work together to build up the earthly city,
 - with our eyes fixed on the city that lasts for ever.
Healer of body and soul, cure the sickness of our spirit,
 - so that we may grow in holiness through your constant care.

Closing Prayer:
Father,
it's so hard to love the world sometimes
and to love it the way Jesus did seems impossible.
Help me to be inspired by his love and
guided by his example.
Most of all, I want to accept that I can't do it alone,
and that trying is an arrogance of self-centeredness.
I need you, dear God, to give me support in this journey.
Show me how to unlock my heart
so that I am less selfish.
Let me be less fearful of the pain and darkness
that will be transformed by you into Easter joy.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

The Fifth Week of Lent
Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise."

The Fifth Week of Lent
Solemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
"Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise."

Prayer for the Solemnity

Collect:
Grant us, we pray, O Lord,
perseverance in obeying your will,
that in our days the people dedicated to your service
may grow in both merit and number.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. *

The Readings:
2 Samuel 7:4-5a, 12-14a, 16; Psalm 89:2-3, 4-5, 27 and 29; Romans 4:13, 16-18, 22; Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a or Luke 2:41-51a

Daily Meditation:
May we be lifted up with you.
In the first reading, lifting up the image of a serpent
healed and protected the people during their
journey of liberation in the desert.

In the gospel, like a trial scene, Jesus is defending himself.
They want to know who he is.
They want to know him - but they resist knowing him.
He tells them that they'll really know him
when he is “lifted up.”
They will lift him up on the cross, to be put to death.
God transformed that tragedy, by letting his death
“pay the price” for all of our sins.

When we look at a crucifix, we look at the image of
the one who is “lifted up” in Glory.
He is lifted up for our liberation from sin and death.

Let us give him thanks, from the bottom of our hearts.
Our celebration of our glorious salvation is near.

“When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw all people to myself.”

O Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.  Ps. 102:2

Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions:
Praise to Christ, who has given us himself as the bread from heaven. Let us pray to him, saying:
   Jesus, you feed and heal our souls; come to strengthen us.

Lord, feed us at the banquet of the Eucharist,
 - with all the gifts of your paschal sacrifice.
Give us a perfect heart to receive your word,
 - that we may bring forth fruit in patience.
Make us eager to work with you in building a better world,
 - so that it may listen to your Church and its gospel of peace.
We confess, Lord, that we have sinned,
 - wash us clean by your gift of salvation.

Closing Prayer:
Loving God,
You have heard my complaints, my impatience.
Sometimes I become frightened when I move away from you.
Guide my heart back to you.
Help me to think beyond my own wants
and to desire only to do you will.

Thank you for the many blessings in my life
and for the ways I feel your presence.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

The Fifth Week of Lent

Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise."

Collect:
Enlighten, O God of compassion,
the hearts of your children, sanctified by penance,
and in your kindness
grant those you stir to a sense of devotion
a gracious hearing when they cry out to you.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. *

The Readings
Deuteronomy 3:14-20, 91-92, 95; Daniel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56; John 8:31-42

Daily Meditation:
Enlighten our minds and sanctify our hearts.
In our reflection, Jesus is about to face a fiery furnace,
which represents the full rejection of all our sins,
and the crushing defeat of death itself.
Praying the Stations again,
might help us grow in a sense that this is all “for me,” for my freedom.

We grow in a sense of repentance and deep sorrow.
We grow in a desire to celebrate
the glorious Light in the midst of all darkness.

Rid yourself of all your sins
and make a new heart and a new spirit.
Gospel antiphon, based upon Ezekiel 18:31

Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions:
Blessed be God, the giver of salvation, who decreed that mankind should become a new creation in himself,
when all would be made new.  With great confidence let us ask him:
   Lord, renew us in your Spirit.

Lord, you promised a new heaven and a new earth; renew us daily through your Spirit,
 - that we may enjoy your presence for ever in the heavenly Jerusalem.
Help us to work with you to make this world alive with your Spirit,
 - and to build on earth a city of justice, love and peace.
Free us from all negligence and sloth,
 - and give us joy in your gifts of grace.
Deliver us from evil,
 - and from slavery to the senses, which blinds us to goodness.

Closing Prayer:
Loving Creator,
I know in your great love for me,
you see the deep sorrow in my heart.
Hear my prayers which are offered with such trust in you.

Be with me in both mind and heart
as I renew my life in your spirit.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

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The Fifth Week of Lent

Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise."

Collect:
Be near, O Lord, to those who plead before you,
and look kindly on those who place their hope in your mercy,
that, cleansed from the stain of their sins,
they may persevere in holy living
and be made full heirs of your promise.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. *

The Readings
Genesis 17: 3-9; Psalms 105:4-5, 6-7, 8-9; John 8:51-59

Daily Meditation:
Come to us, free us, help us, and guide us.
We pray more intensely now, just a week before Holy Thursday.  
We desire more and more that we might be free.  
Sorrow leads to profound gratitude, 
when we experience the depth of unconditional love offered us.  
The gratitude of a loved sinner leads to great generosity.

Christ is the mediator of a new covenant so that since he has died, 
those who are called may receive the eternal inheritance promised to them.
The Entrance Antiphon - Hebrews 9:15
 
Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions:
Christ our Lord came among us as the light of the world,
that we might walk in his light, and not in the darkness of death. 
Let us praise him and cry out to him:
   Let your word be a lamp to guide us.

God of mercy, help us today to grow in your likeness,
 - that we who sinned in Adam may rise again in Christ.
Let your word be a lamp to guide us,
 - that we may live the truth and grow always in your love.
Teach us to be faithful in seeking the common good for your sake,
 - that your light may shine on the whole human family by means of your Church.
Touch our hearts to seek your friendship more and more,
 - and to make amends for our sins against your wisdom and goodness.

Closing Prayer:
Lord,
all I want is to be faithful to you in my life,
but so often I fail.
Free me from my many sins
and guide me to the life I will share with you.
I wait for your promise to be fulfilled
with great hope in my heart
and your praise on my lips.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

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The Fifth Week of Lent

Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise."

Collect:
Pardon the offenses of your peoples, we pray, O Lord,
and in your goodness set us free
from the bonds of the sins
we have committed in our weakness.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. *

The Readings
Jeremiah 20:10-13; Psalms 18:2-3a, 3bc-4, 5-6, 7; John 10:31-42

Daily Meditation:
Set us free.
On this Friday before Good Friday,
it might be most appropriate to make the Stations.
Our desire is becoming more focused and more intense.
After our weeks of reflection, we know that our selfishness has placed us in ruts,
has made us slaves to some very unhappy and sometimes death-dealing patterns.
The celebration of our freedom and healing is close at hand.

Jesus carried our sins in his own body on the cross
so that we could die to sin and live in holiness;
by his wounds we have been healed.
The Communion Antiphon - 1 Peter 2:24

Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions:
Thanks be to Christ the Lord, who brought us life by his death on the cross.
With our whole heart let us ask him:
   By your death raise us to life.

Teacher and Savior, you have shown us your fidelity and made us a new creation by your passion,
  - keep us from falling again into sin.
Help us to deny ourselves today,
  - and not deny those in need.
May we receive this day of penance as your gift,
  - and give it back to you through works of mercy.
Master our rebellious hearts,
  - and teach us generosity.

Closing Prayer:
Most forgiving Lord,
again and again you welcome me back into your loving arms.
Grant me freedom from the heavy burdens of sin
that weigh me down
and keep me so far from you.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

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The Fifth Week of Lent
Daily Lent Prayer
"Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare your praise."

Collect:
O God, who have made all those reborn in Christ
a chosen race and a royal priesthood,
grant us, we pray, the grace to will and to do what you command,
that the people called to eternal life
may be one in the faith of their hearts
and the homage of their deeds.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. *

The Readings
Ezekiel 37:21-28; Jeremiah 31:10, 11-12abcd, 13; John 11:45-46

Daily Meditation:
Now we rejoice in your great love.
Our journey has brought us here.
It is as though we, too, are gathering in Jerusalem
to celebrate our Passover week.
We are ready to enter into the Passion drama,
and to celebrate the Paschal Mystery,
with mind and heart renewed.

We are ready to rejoice that the death of Jesus is “for me”
and that it is the ultimate victory over sin and death -
my sin and my death.

Christ was sacrificed so that he could gather together
the scattered children of God.
John 11:52

Today's Daily Reflection

Intercessions:
To make us his new creation, Christ the Lord gave us the waters of rebirth
and spread the table of his body and his word. 
Let us call upon him and say:
   Lord, renew us in your grace.

Jesus, meek and humble of heart, clothe us with compassion, kindness and humility,
  - make us want to be patient with everyone.
Teach us to be true neighbors to all in trouble and distress,
  - and so imitate you, the Good Samaritan.
May the Blessed Virgin, your Mother, pray for all those vowed to a life of virginity,
  - that they may deepen their dedication to you and to the Church.
Grant us the gift of your mercy,
  - forgive our sins and remit their punishment.

Closing Prayer:
Loving God,
Your eternal watchfulness keeps me safe from harm.
I am filled with a great happiness
when I feel your endless love for me.
Thank you for your care for me, one of your children.
I ask you to protect from harm
those who will soon be your children,
joined in the joy of your church.
Please continue to pour out your blessings
on all of us who have been given
the lifegiving waters of baptism.

May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
Amen.

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* New English translation according to the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal. 2010,
Copyright International Commission on English in the Liturgy.