Theotokos Prayer Group - Third Sunday of Lent, 23 March 2025

Third Sunday of Lent - 23 March 2025

Repent, says the Lord,
for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Glory to you, O Christ, you are the Word of God.

Gospel:   Luke 13:1-9

‘Unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’

There were some present at that very time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, ‘Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.’
  And he told this parable: ‘A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vine dresser, “Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?” And he answered him, “Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig round it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.” ’

God our Father, in your infinite love and goodness
you have shown us that prayer, fasting, and almsgiving
are remedies for sin.
Accept the humble admission of our guilt, and when our conscience weighs us down let your unfailing mercy raise us up.
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.
Amen.

Lenten Reflection - part 3

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS
FOR LENT 2025

Third, let us journey together in hope, for we have been given a promise. May the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5), the central message of the Jubilee, be the focus of our Lenten journey towards the victory of Easter. As Pope Benedict XVI taught us in the Encyclical Spe Salvi, “the human being needs unconditional love.  He needs the certainty which makes him say: ‘neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord’ ( Rom 8:38-39)”. 

Christ, my hope, has risen! He lives and reigns in glory. Death has been transformed into triumph, and the faith and great hope of Christians rests in this: the resurrection of Christ!

This, then, is the third call to conversion: a call to hope, to trust in God and his great promise of eternal life. Let us ask ourselves: Am I convinced that the Lord forgives my sins? Or do I act as if I can save myself? Do I long for salvation and call upon God’s help to attain it? Do I concretely experience the hope that enables me to interpret the events of history and inspires in me a commitment to justice and fraternity, to care for our common home and in such a way that no one feels excluded?

Sisters and brothers, thanks to God’s love in Jesus Christ, we are sustained in the hope that does not disappoint (cf. Rom 5:5). Hope is the “sure and steadfast anchor of the soul”. It moves the Church to pray for “everyone to be saved” ( 1 Tim 2:4) and to look forward to her being united with Christ, her bridegroom, in the glory of heaven. This was the prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila: “Hope, O my soul, hope. You know neither the day nor the hour. Watch carefully, for everything passes quickly, even though your impatience makes doubtful what is certain, and turns a very short time into a long one” ( The Exclamations of the Soul to God, 15:3).

May the Virgin Mary, Mother of Hope, intercede for us and accompany us on our Lenten journey.

Notes for meeting on 18 March

Picture

Picture of Our Lord Jesus on His Cross, Blessed Mother is looking up at Him.
It is as though we were above the  top of the Cross looking at Our Mother and Jesus while they are conversing.
Jesus in agony says “Dear Mother will you be a Mother to mine?”
Blessed Mother with tears on her cheeks replies “My Son as I said "Yes" to Gabriel and You were placed in my womb, so shall I place all of Your children into the Ark of my Immaculate Heart, I shall lead them home to You."

"My dear little ones I am with you and hold you in the Ark of my Immaculate Heart, turn to Jesus in trouble and strife and I will always do as He bids and protect you.
My Heart together with my Son’s Heart will always be your refuge, for you are my Son’s People and so you are my children and this Mother will always watch over her little ones.
Be at peace my dear one’s, come stay with me a while before the Holy Cross of my Son, and keep us company.
Mary"

Interpretation of tongues:

My Heart burns with love of you.

I love you.

My Heart is full of love for you.

My Heart is broken.

My Heart is broken for love of you, My Heart is broken for love of you, My Heart is broken for love of you,

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, John Morgan, 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 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 25 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.

The development of the Jubilee theme in Scripture

Although there are only a few references to the Jubilee year in the Pentateuch it continued to play a major role both among the Israelites and in the emerging Christian church in the New Testament.  
The Jubilee year assumed greater theological importance in Israel. Although there are only a few references to the Jubilee year in the Pentateuch (Leviticus 25 and Numbers 36:4) it continued to play a major role both among the Israelites and in the emerging Christian church in the New Testament. Ezekiel 46:17 calls it the ‘year of liberty’. 

While Isaiah 61:1-2 speaks of it as ‘the year of the Lord’s favour’. 

‘The spirit of the Lord God is upon me
because the Lord has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed,
to bind up the broken-hearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour
and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn…’ 

In Daniel’s vision (9:24-27), he sees the eschatological messianic age of Yahweh to be inaugurated after “seventy weeks of years”. 

This can be equated with 10 jubilee years:  ‘for putting an end to transgression, for placing the seal on sin, for expiating crime, for introducing everlasting righteousness, for setting the seal on vision and on prophecy, for anointing the holy of holies.’ 

In Jeremiah 34:8-22 the liberation of slaves which King Zedekiah had ordered was not properly carried out. The Israelites reversed the agreement, reclaimed their slaves and re-enslaved them. Yahweh reprimanded the people and reminded them of their ancestral covenant with him and Jubilee protocol. Then Yahweh set war, famine and plague upon them in punishment. 

2 Chronicles 36:21 also shows that Israel had failed to observe the sabbatical years in accordance with Jeremiah’s prophecy and was similarly punished.  

From: https://www.cbcew.org.uk/

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 expectation
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