Tag Archives: Repent

February 22, 2016

3rd Sunday of Lent – Repent

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Desert sunset

Study:  Reflect on a time when you were forgiven.  What steps took place to make it happen?

Pray:  Is there something in your life that’s prompting you to repent?  Ask the Lord for the strength to do it!

Serve:  Is there a situation in your life that you can help bring healing and reconciliation?  How might you be an instrument of God’s grace?

3rd Sunday of Lent Readings – Year C

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Here’s a quick recap of the readings this week:

  • 1st Reading: Moses encounters God in the Burning Bush
  • Psalm: The Lord is kind and merciful
  • 2nd Reading: Paul reminds the Corinthians not to grumble, like the people did with Moses
  • Gospel: Jesus calls us to repent

On the one hand we hear how God takes pity on our plight, has great mercy, and longs to heal and love us.  On the other hand, we also hear the crucial need to repent – to turn away from our sins and draw near to the Lord.

Remember this: God requires our repentance so that we can freely receive his mercy and forgiveness.  Reconciliation means nothing if we aren’t sorry for what we have said and done.  What’s more, without repentance we cannot begin to comprehend the unconditional love of Jesus on the Cross.

So what is our path to repentance?  Consider these basic steps:

  1. Take time to review a good Examination of Conscience.  If you haven’t looked at one for a long time, click here to see several versions from the US Bishops.
  2. After you have reflected on the Examination, what speaks to your heart?  What sins is your conscience bringing up in your life?
  3. If the sin is against another, sometimes the easiest thing is simply to go to the person and say “I’m sorry” or “I forgive you.”
  4. If the sin is bigger, make the effort to go to Confession – one of the greatest gifts we possess in the Church.

The Lord is calling us – out of his awesome grace, mercy, and forgiveness – to repent.  Make this Lent extra special, and may all of us take the time to review our hearts and be about the business of God’s healing love.

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If you are looking for more material to help you this Lent, you might consider this list of presentations I have offered over the last couple of years.  Feel free to check it out and share if you find it helpful:

Podcast Resources for a Powerful Lent

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February 19, 2015

1st Sunday of Lent – Repentance and Good News

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Christ in the Wilderness

Study:  Start out this Lent with a good Examination of Conscience.

Pray:  Ask the Lord for the grace to repent.

Serve:  Consider a practical way you can bring “good news” to someone in your life.

1st Sunday of Lent Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

Mark’s Gospel is direct and to the point:

Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God:  “This is the time of fulfillment.  The kingdom of God is at hand.  Repent, and believe in the gospel.”  (Mark 1: 14-15)

It’s time.  Maybe you got a late start to Lent, maybe it caught up on you before you were ready.  Maybe you’ve been ready, but you needed that little push – that extra kick – to get started and make a change.

It’s not complicated.  Is there something that’s keeping us from God or one another?  Is there something that needs to be different in our words and actions?  Does the pattern of our lives need to be altered toward the Lord’s goodness?  Two simple steps:

  • Repent
  • Believe in the Good News

In the first reading the rainbow is a sign from God that never again will the world be flooded with waters of destruction.  The covenant with Noah is a built on hope: life is worth saving, worth fighting for, worth dying for, and worthy of the ultimate sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.  Once we recognize God’s faithfulness, we can more easily let go of past sins and temptations – turning to the one who love’s us completely.

Is there anything holding us back from the Lord?  Now is a good time to honestly assess our lives, cast out what does not belong, and call upon the grace of Jesus Christ.

After all, he brings Good News – and once we’ve left our sins behind, we can embrace the joy that flows from Heaven.

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Christ in the Wilderness, Moretto da Brescia (Alessandro Bovicino); 1515-20, oil on canvas, 45.7 x 55.2 cm, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

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February 18, 2015

Ash Wednesday

By Fr. Andrew Ricci

Ashes

Study: Reflect on a moment when sin has touched your life.  Where did you find God’s grace at work?

Pray: Take some time for personal reflection.  Make this an Examination of Conscience to recall how God continues to touch your heart and bless your life.

Serve: Consider a simple and practical way that you can care for another this Lent.  Something personal…something real.

Ash Wednesday Readings

Fr. Andrew’s Homily Podcast

“Repent, and believe in the Gospel.”

These are the words we hear today as we come forward to begin a new Lent.  We physically mark our foreheads – smudge them with grimy ashes – to recall the simple fact that we are all sinners and stand in need of God’s mercy.

And what great mercy it is!  Perhaps that’s why we pause.  We need mercy.  We crave forgiveness.  We hunger to be loved simply and gently, no strings attached, no conditions required.

These ashes remind us that we need….God.

Pause today.  We reflect on what is broken or wounded in our lives – to discover where we are hurting.

Then look outward.  This is our opportunity to consider how we have broken or wounded others – recognizing that perhaps another has suffered through our thoughts, words, or deeds.

Ashes.

Repentance.

God’s Grace.

Have a blessed and holy Lent.

 

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