Third Sunday of Lent
Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15; 1 Cor 10:1-6.10-12; Lk 13:1-9
Leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.
-- Lk 13:9
In the Gospel story of the fig tree, the gardener had not nurtured it well and it didn't bear fruit. He asked for a second chance to help the tree become productive. Haiti has struggled so long and its neighbors have neglected it. The recent earthquake has shone a new light so the world now sees the true situation and recognizes potential for Haiti to be built back better.
We are called to take this new opportunity and better cultivate and feed its development that it may become a productive land again.
PRAYER: Creator God, strengthen our resolve in our relationship with our Haitian brothers and sisters that we might be instruments of the renewal of their land. Amen.
Monday--3rd Week of Lent
2 Kgs 5:1-15b; Lk 4:24-30
No prophet is accepted in his own native land.
-- Lk 4:24
Sayil Jozef, father of five, is the sacristan of Sacre Coeur Church in Cabestor. This role is his primary work. Sayil prepares the Eucharistic table and the Eucharistic people for Mass everyday. He helps Fr. Hermann keep records of sacraments and meets with individuals to encourage active practice of their faith. On some occasions he distribute rosaries sent by our parish.
PRAYER: Jesus, may we always practice our beliefs with dedication. Help us to withstand questioning of the world around us. Strengthen us to be leaders of both faith and justice that others may see our actions and recognize your truth. Amen
Tuesday--3rd Week of Lent
Dn 3:25,34-43; Mt 18:21-35
Do not let us be put to shame, but deal with us in your kindness and great mercy.
-- Dn 3:42
Jetta lives in Lascahobas. But every chance she gets, she treks ten miles up the mountains to visit her family in Mon Michel where she grew up. She is pleased that her nieces and nephews will soon have a new school. Jetta is a proud mother who taught her teenage sons discipline. Now she sees them assuming community responsibilities as a result of their efforts and success at school.
PRAYER: Father, we ask your courage and confidence for parents. May they discipline their children lovingly and wisely as Jesus guides us, knowing that your goodness will follow. Strengthen all our families as the building blocks of faithful, just communities. Amen
WEDNESDAY--3rd Week of Lent
Dt 4:1, 5-9; Mt 5:17-19
Whoever obeys and teaches these commandments will be called greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
-- Mt 5:19
Yves, is a reliable, constant presence in the church community. Most often one sees him gently guiding a child to his or her seat in church, or religious education class or altar server duties. Yves has been a youth leader since he was a youth himself. With the youth he carefully balances his roles as friend and authority, but it's clear he cares about the children and the future of his church.
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for faithful people dedicated to encouraging new generations of leadership and helping them to have Christ at their center. Give Yves and other young adults in Haiti the wherewithal to continue to support their parish community while also finding opportunities to develop their own gifts to fulfill their potential. Amen.
THURSDAY--3rd Week of Lent
Jer 7:23-28; Lk 11:14-23
Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.
-- Lk 11: 23
Elian is 11 years old and lives in the mountain village of Mon Michel. I love to play with my friends,
she says, and I help my family by washing clothes and taking care of my baby sister. I have no father but my mother helps me go to school. She works in the garden growing crops, but things are not going well and life is hard for her.
PRAYER: Loving God, many Haitian children carry burdens they shouldn't have at such a young age. Their compassion teaches us to value life and understand love's power. Help us to be truly with
the boys and girls of Haiti as they struggle to care for their families. May they not scatter from home, but develop and enrich their villages. Amen.
FRIDAY--3rd Week of Lent
Hos 14:2-10; Mk 12:28-34
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength…(and) your neighbor as yourself.
-- Mk 12:30-31
Venel Lamy is an amazing man. He maintains a small business in his house; he's taught nearly every parish musician how to play his/her instrument; he's a youth director; and he spends his spare
time serving his church in a multitude of other ways. But this constant giver, who barely ekes out a living for his own family, also has established an ongoing ministry for the poor widows and orphans
of his community. If anyone knows a good recipe
for soap, let us know -- Venel would like to help these people develop a self-sustaining enterprise.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus, Venel is a model of unflagging commitment to the least among us. Bless his efforts with your providence and may he know joy in doing your work. Help us learn selflessness and find new ways of sharing our gifts with those in greatest need. Amen.
SATURDAY--3rd Week of Lent
Hos 6:1-6; Lk 18:9-14
It is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts.
-- Hos 6:6
Verlinda is a young mother. Her whole family—and her friends—help her raise her baby. No one needs to tell the people of the Cabestor Valley that it takes a village to raise a child. That’s a way of life in a poor country. Verlinda is happy in her new motherhood because the faith of her family and friends is based on hope for the future of her and her child.
PRAYER: Father of us all, we pray for the newest lives among us. Give us wisdom, commitment and a share in working for a better outlook of health and opportunity for our youngest Haitian brothers and sisters. Help us become part of their caring village and grow to love them as our own. Amen.