Today’s Gospel: Luke 4, 1-13 – First Sunday of Lent

As we start Lent, we are being called to enter into the wilderness with Jesus. The Church gives us 40 days to join Jesus in the dessert, to avoid temptation as He did, to deny ourselves comforts as He did.

However, the Lord didn’t send Jesus out alone and He doesn’t send us alone – we have the Holy Spirit! “Jesus, full of the Spirit and led by the Spirit.” Surely it will be impossible to deny the devil on our own – who could resist such luring except with help from the Holy Spirit?

Ponder:

Am I full of the Holy Spirit? Do I listen to the Spirit’s gentle ways?

Pray:

Come Holy Spirit! Be with me and guide me this Lent, so I may not miss a moment of your gentle wisdom and loving tugging at my heart.

Copyright 2016 Amanda Menghini

I am married to a wonderful Catholic man and am a work-at-home mother to 5 beautiful children, aged 8 and under.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for February 14, 2016 – 1st Sunday of Lent appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Luke 5:27-32

I grew up in a neighborhood that consisted of row homes; today they call them town houses. There was a playground that was within walking distance of all the homes. When it was time for the kids to come home, parents would scream “Dennis! Time to come home!” (Or Kevin, Scott, etc.) If we were having a lot of fun we would ignore the first call and sometimes the second but if we were going someplace special or if the call was for a dinner that was our favorite we responded immediately.

As a kid we thanked our parents for taking us to that special place or that delicious meal but not so much for the normal less-tasty meal or the boring trip to the store. Maybe we even ignored our parents as we headed off to have fun with our friends.

Jesus calls us each day to follow Him. Many times we act like the kids who are having too much fun to respond to the first call. If life is going good we may even forget about Him. It is when our lives get oppressive and we desperately need His help that we immediately come to Him.

Ponder:

As adults, have we learned to be attentive to Jesus’ daily call for us to come to Him?

Pray:

Lord Jesus, please give me the grace to hear you calling my name, so that I may better follow you in all the times of my life.

Copyright 2016 Dennis P. McGeehan

Dennis is blessed to be the husband of Susann, the father of eight children on Earth and one who returned to God before birth. He is a homeschooling dad, a martial artist, author, freelance writer and speaker. His latest book is The Diaries of Joseph and Mary. He blogs at warriorsworlddad.com.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for February 13, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.

Today’s Gospel: Matthew 9:14-15

Yes it is Lent, but that doesn’t mean you have to be sad.

Lent is known as a time for sacrifice. We fast and pray and give alms. As a Friday, we make special sacrifices today in memory of Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ passion and death on the cross.

The question is, however, why do we fast? Why do we give something up for Lent? More importantly, why do YOU give something up for Lent?

In the reading today, the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees see Jesus’ disciples feasting when they should be fasting. “Should be” is a key element of their perspective. You see, during Lent, we often take on a militant practice of giving something up or not eating meat on Fridays. We beat ourselves up for making mistakes and giving in to our urge not to maintain our Lenten commitments. This made us sad and guilty. We “should be” better at giving something up.

We might want to ask Jesus a similar question that his critics ask in this Scripture passage: Why do your disciples fast?

His answer is something that we all to often forget. Fasting and feasting are meaningless if they are not done in reference to our relationship with Christ. The disciples feast because the bridegroom is there. They will fast when he is gone. Neither is done because of some sense of duty or hard work. They do it because of Christ.

That is how we should view our Lenten fast. We must not lose sight of the reason for the season, Jesus Christ.

Ponder:

What did you decide to fast from during this season of Lent? How can you make sure that you never forget Jesus and his love for you every time you choose to abstain?

Pray:

Lord Jesus, out of your great love for us you suffered and died on the cross so that we could receive your infinite grace. May we have the strength this Lent to love you back unconditionally, and may our sacrifices always be done in your name.

Copyright 2016 Jared Dees

Jared Dees is the creator of the popular website The Religion Teacher, which provides practical resources and effective teaching strategies to religious educators. He is the digital marketing manager at Ave Maria Press and the author of 31 Days to Becoming a Better Religious Educator and To Heal, Proclaim, and Teach. He lives in South Bend, Indiana, with his wife and three children.

The post Daily Gospel Reflection for February 12, 2016 appeared first on CatholicMom.com – Celebrating Catholic Motherhood.