Theotokos Prayer Group - First Sunday of Lent 9 March 2025

 

Glory and praise to you, O Christ.
One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.
Glory and praise to you, O Christ.

Gospel:    Luke 4:1-13

‘Jesus was led by the Spirit in the wilderness and tempted by the devil’

At that time: Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And he ate nothing during those days. And when they were over, he was hungry.
  The devil said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone.” ’
  And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, and said to him, ‘To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” ’
  And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you”, and “On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” ’ And Jesus answered him, ‘It is said, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.” ’
  And when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from him until an opportune time.

A commentary of St Augustine on Psalm 60

Our pilgrimage on earth cannot be exempt from trial. We progress by means of trial. No one knows himself except through trial, or receives a crown except after victory, or strives except against an enemy or temptations.
  The one who cries from the ends of the earth is in anguish, but is not left on his own. Christ chose to foreshadow us, who are his body, by means of his body, in which he has died, risen and ascended into heaven, so that the members of his body may hope to follow where their head has gone before.
  He made us one with him when he chose to be tempted by Satan. We have heard in the gospel how the Lord Jesus Christ was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. Certainly Christ was tempted by the devil. In Christ you were tempted, for Christ received his flesh from your nature, but by his own power gained salvation for you; he suffered death in your nature, but by his own power gained glory for you; therefore, he suffered temptation in your nature, but by his own power gained victory for you.
  If in Christ we have been tempted, in him we overcome the devil. Do you think only of Christ’s temptations and fail to think of his victory? See yourself as tempted in him, and see yourself as victorious in him. He could have kept the devil from himself; but if he were not tempted he could not teach you how to triumph over temptation.

Notes from meeting on 4 March 2025:

Picture

Picture of Our Lord upon His Cross with Blessed Mother at the foot of the Cross, she is resting her head on His feet. It is very dark and cold, Many peoples from all over the World start moving and are joining her at the foot of the Cross, Mother looks round with tears of happiness and gratitude that her Children are with her, Somehow there seems to be room for all, and all are able to participate and pray.

"My dear little ones, you are with me at this most grievous time, Your hearts are open and you share my sorrows, but we shall after this time of sorrow see great things, graces and love poured out like never before, for now we weep but we shall see all renewed in my Son Jesus’ Love and Mercy.
Take heart my little ones your Mother is with you.
I bless you in the Name of my Holy Father, my Son Jesus who suffers and dies for you and the Most Holy Spirit.
Mary"

John 8 v 31 - 47

31 To the Jews who believed in him Jesus said: If you make my word your home you will indeed be my disciples;
32 you will come to know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
33 They answered, 'We are descended from Abraham and we have never been the slaves of anyone; what do you mean, "You will be set free?" '
34 Jesus replied: In all truth I tell you, everyone who commits sin is a slave.
35 Now a slave has no permanent standing in the household, but a son belongs to it for ever.
36 So if the Son sets you free, you will indeed be free.
37 I know that you are descended from Abraham; but you want to kill me because my word finds no place in you.
38 What I speak of is what I have seen at my Father's side, and you too put into action the lessons you have learnt from your father.
39 They repeated, 'Our father is Abraham.' Jesus said to them: If you are Abraham's children, do as Abraham did.
40 As it is, you want to kill me, a man who has told you the truth as I have learnt it from God; that is not what Abraham did.
41 You are doing your father's work. They replied, 'We were not born illegitimate, the only father we have is God.'
42 Jesus answered: If God were your father, you would love me, since I have my origin in God and have come from him; I did not come of my own accord, but he sent me.
43 Why do you not understand what I say? Because you cannot bear to listen to my words.
44 You are from your father, the devil, and you prefer to do what your father wants. He was a murderer from the start; he was never grounded in the truth; there is no truth in him at all. When he lies he is speaking true to his nature, because he is a liar, and the father of lies.
45 But it is because I speak the truth that you do not believe me.
46 Can any of you convict me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me?
47 Whoever comes from God listens to the words of God; the reason why you do not listen is that you are not from God.


Lenten Reflection - part 1

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR LENT 2025

Let us journey together in hope

Dear brothers and sisters,

We begin our annual pilgrimage of Lent in faith and hope with the penitential rite of the imposition of ashes. The Church, our mother and teacher, invites us to open our hearts to God’s grace, so that we can celebrate with great joy the paschal victory of Christ the Lord over sin and death, which led Saint Paul to exclaim: “Death has been swallowed up in victory. Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” ( 1 Cor 15:54-55). Indeed, Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is the heart of our faith and the pledge of our hope in the Father’s great promise, already fulfilled in his beloved Son: life eternal (cf. Jn 10:28; 17:3). [1]

This Lent, as we share in the grace of the Jubilee Year, I would like to propose a few reflections on what it means to journey together in hope, and on the summons to conversion that God in his mercy addresses to all of us, as individuals and as a community.

First of all, to journey. The Jubilee motto, “Pilgrims of Hope”, evokes the lengthy journey of the people of Israel to the Promised Land, as recounted in the Book of Exodus. This arduous path from slavery to freedom was willed and guided by the Lord, who loves his people and remains ever faithful to them. It is hard to think of the biblical exodus without also thinking of those of our brothers and sisters who in our own day are fleeing situations of misery and violence in search of a better life for themselves and their loved ones. A first call to conversion thus comes from the realization that all of us are pilgrims in this life; each of us is invited to stop and ask how our lives reflect this fact. Am I really on a journey, or am I standing still, not moving, either immobilized by fear and hopelessness or reluctant to move out of my comfort zone? Am I seeking ways to leave behind the occasions of sin and situations that degrade my dignity? It would be a good Lenten exercise for us to compare our daily life with that of some migrant or foreigner, to learn how to sympathize with their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us so that we can better advance on our journey to the house of the Father. This would be a good “examination of conscience” for all of us wayfarers..........(to be continued)

Intercessions

Lord give us a spirit of Hope in this Holy Year of Hope.

Sacred Heart of Jesus have Mercy on us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for us.

Pray for the sanctity of life from conception to natural death.

Pray for upbuilding of Marriage and Family.

Pray for peace in our Country and our communities.

Pray for our young people that they may be protected from the evil one, that they may find a home in the loving Heart of Jesus.

Pray for healing for 

Pope Francis, Rosie, Adam Grey with cancer, Charlotte, Susan, Kyle, Catherine and Peter, Anne Shepherd, Felicity, Jessica, Marie Bedingfield, Milo,  John Joynes, Vanessa, Cathy, Matthew, Gina Hardy, Jeff Shore, Owen McEneaney, Reese, Tony, Joan, Jackie, Nathan, David, Derek, Malcolm, Hollie, and Harlan Moon.

Pray for healing for Lynn and Anne both with chronic illness.
Pray for Gina (aged 31) who has had a pancreas and kidney transplant recently but has had to go back to surgery because the pancreas is not working properly.
Pray for Alan Guile may the Lord strengthen him and his ministry.

Pray for Grace who is dying - Lord be with her

Pray for a young woman called Maisie who has had a baby then needed an emergency op to stop bleeding and is now unable to move from waist down she is being taken to Charing Cross Hospital which is more specialised! Baby is being looked after by Dad and Grandmother - please pray for them all.

Pray for Joseph in hospital with burns.

Praise the Lord that baby Freddie who was born blue and gasping for breath has now recovered.  

Pray for all in our Parishes who are ill in body, mind or spirit.

Pray for Disha that he may find employment.

Pray for all those we have been asked and have promised to pray for.

Pray for all who are grieving give them strength, consolation and healing.

Pray for our Priests and for vocations to the Priesthood.

Pray for lost souls.

Pray for the conversion of the World.

Lord we continue to pray for Peace in Ukraine and in Israel and Gaza and throughout the World.

Lord we pray for persecuted Christians throughout the World.

Lord we pray for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit on all peoples and nations.

Pray for the Holy Souls in Purgatory may they be granted eternal rest.

Mary, Mother of God, Theotokos, pray for us.
Mary Queen of Peace, pray for us.
Mary, Bride of the Spirit, pray for us.

If anyone has any prophecy, prayers, readings or intercessions I encourage you to please send them to m

e. Let us share with one another the gifts and inspirations of the Spirit!
Also if there any changes necessary to the intercessions - please let me know

Resources
1.Theotokos Prayer Group:
https://www.facebook.com/Theotokos-Prayer-Group-142398089120415
/http://theotokosprayergroup.blogspot.co.uk/
2. Daily Mass readings can be found at:
https://universalis.com/mass.htm
3. Bishops Conference of England and Wales Website -
https://www.cbcew.org.uk
4. Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle Website:
Home - Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle (diocesehn.org.uk)
5. Catholic Charismatic Renewal in England:
http://www.ccr.org.uk/
6. Catholic Charismatic Renewal International
https://www.charis.international/en/home/
7. Celebrate Conference website
https://www.celebratetrust.org/
8. CHARIS in England and Wales
www.charisuk.com
9.CaFE - Catholic Faith Exploration (faithcafe.org)

Events

Next meeting will be on 11 March 2025 at 7.30pm in The Creche in St Patricks Church, Glenfield Road, Fairfield, Stockton TS19 7PL. All welcome

Jubilee 2025 - Pilgrims of Hope
The 2025 Jubilee officially opened on December 24, 2024 with the rite of Opening of the Holy Door of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter by the Holy Father.
Link to Jubilee website: Jubilee 2025 https://www.iubilaeum2025.va/en.html

I will be adding further information and reflections on the Holy Year as we get into 2025.

Indulgences

The Jubilee Indulgence is a concrete manifestation of God's mercy, which goes beyond and transforms the boundaries of human justice. This treasury of grace entered human history in the witness of Jesus and the saints, and by living in communion with them our hope for our own forgiveness is strengthened and becomes a certainty. The Jubilee indulgence allows us to free our hearts from the weight of sin because the reparation due for our sins is given freely and abundantly.

In practical terms, the experience of God’s mercy involves some spiritual acts indicated by the Pope. Those who cannot make the Jubilee pilgrimage due to illness or other circumstances are nonetheless invited to take part in the spiritual movement that accompanies the Jubilee year, offering up the sufferings of their daily lives, and participating in the Eucharistic celebration.

The Jubilee Prayer

Father in heaven,
may the faith you have given us
in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled
in or hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope
for the coming of your Kingdom.

May your grace transform us
into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expecta
tion
of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished,
your glory will shine eternally.

May the grace of the Jubilee
reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread
the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed,
be glory and praise for ever.

Amen