If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31b-34
2.21.2021
First (1st) Sunday of Lent, 2021
Genesis 9:8-15
Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,
“As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
God said,
“This is the sign of the covenant that I make
between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh."
2.17.2021
ASH WEDNESDAY, The First Day Of Lent
"We are dust and to dust we shall return"
Ashes that are placed on the forehead of Catholics (and other denominations that recognize Lent) remind us that we will one day die and that we must repent our sins.
When we receive ashes in the Church, the words we hear either remind us that we will turn to dust or urge us to turn away from sin.
So when Catholics publicly wear ashes on their foreheads, they have no intention to draw anyone's attention to our fasting or sacrifices. Rather Catholics are reminding themselves of the crucial importance to turn away from sin and also of the fact that this life doesn't last forever.
We cannot live as though we will never die.
Ashes and Their Meaning
The Church has using ashes for hundreds of years as an outward sign to others of our grief, humility, mourning, penance, and morality.
Ashes were imposed on early Christians as they prepared for their baptism.
So when Catholics celebrate the Mass on Ash Wednesday and receivee the blessed ashes on our foreheads, we repeating a serious, pious act that Catholics have been practicing for over 1,500 years.
The act of ashes placed on foreheads is in the Bible many places. Here is one statement in the Old Testament:
"That day they fasted and wore sackcloth; they sprinkled ashes on their heads and tore their garments" (1 Mc 3:47).
2.14.2021
Consecration to The Immaculate Heart of Mary
O Mary, Virgin most powerful and Mother of Mercy, Queen of Heaven and Refuge of Sinners, we consecrate ourselves to thy Immaculate Heart.
We consecrate to thee our very being and our whole life: all that we have, all that we love, all that we are.
To thee we give our bodies, our hearts, and our souls; to thee we give our homes, our families and our country.
We desire that all that is in us and around us may belong to thee and may share in the benefits of thy motherly blessing.
And, that this act of consecration may be truly fruitful and lasting, we renew this day at thy feet the promises of our Baptism and our First Holy Communion.
We pledge ourselves to profess courageously and at all times the truths of our holy Faith, and to live as befits Catholics, who are submissive to all directions of the Pope and the bishops in communion with him.
We pledge ourselves to keep the Commandments of God and His Church, in particular, to keep holy the Lord's Day.
We pledge ourselves to make the consoling practices of the Christian religion, and above all, Holy Communion, an important part of our lives, in so far as we shall be able to do.
Finally, we promise thee,
O glorious Mother of God and loving Mother of men,
to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the spreading of devotion to thy Immaculate Heart,
in order to hasten and assure, through the queenly rule of thy Immaculate Heart,
the coming of the kingdom of the Sacred Heart of thy adorable Son,
in our own hearts and in those of all men, in our country, and in all the world, as in Heaven, so on earth.
Amen.
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