Vincentian Spirituality

FIRST SUNDAY OF LENT

Gospel: (Luke 4:1-13)

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. …The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered: “It is written: One does not live on bread alone.”…The devil then said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory…All this will be yours, if you worship me.” 

Jesus replied: “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” …Then the devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

 Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says: You shall not put the Lord, you God, to the test.”

When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.

Reflection:

Try as the he might by offering every attractive thing—wealth, power, esteem—the devil couldn’t prove stronger. The gentle persuasion of prayer and fasting kept Jesus stronger and able to resist temptation. Not even the Son of God was exempt from being tested! 

Temptation, then, isn’t necessarily a sign of great sinfulness. It is an occasion for showing that our lives are turned to God, for remaining steadfast in the faith that we profess. Lent isn’t simply our desert time to overcome temptation. It is also a springtime of renewed relationship to God. It is a time when we are strengthened, with the gentle warmth of God’s Spirit leading us, to overcome even temptations to wealth, power, and esteem. (Living Liturgy, p.70)

Jesus said to his disciples: “Why look at the speck in your brother’s eye when you miss the plank in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Brother, let me remove the speck from your eye,’ yet fail yourself to see the plank lodged in your own? Hypocrite, remove the plank from your own eye first; then you will see clearly enough to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.”

Vincentian Meditation: 

I urge you to reflect, during Lent, on the temptations that we inevitable meet as the Spirit guides us through the desert. None of us is spared these. The Spirit is a pillar of fire to lighten our path on the journey, but daily events allure us to follow other pillars of fire as we wander through the desert. But we find our hunger satisfied, our thirst quenched, only in the person of a loving, provident God who walks with us always. This Lent all of us must ask ourselves: what is the greatest temptation I face as a follower of St. Vincent?

(Maloney, Go! On the Missionary Spirituality of St. Vincent de Paul, p. 95)

Discussion: 

(Share your thoughts after a moment of silence)

What is the greatest temptation you face as a follower of Vincent and Frederic? 

Closing Prayer:

  For the grace to be detached from wealth,

-Jesus, we turn to you.

For the grace to be detached from power,

-Jesus, we turn to you.

For the grace to be detached from esteem, 

-Jesus, we turn to you.

Amen

Opening Prayer for Society Meetings:

L:  In the Name of the Father, etc.

All:  Amen.

L:  Come, Holy Spirit, live within our lives.

All:  And strengthen us by Your Love.

L:  Send forth your spirit and new life will be created.

All:  And the whole face of the earth will be renewed.

L:  Our Father, etc.

All:  Give us this day our daily bread, etc.

L:  Let us reflect on the words of Our Lord Jesus Christ, recalling His unity and presence among us: “Where two or three are gathered together in my Name, there am I in the midst of them.” (Silence)

All:  Lord Jesus, deepen our Vincentian spirit of friendship during this meeting and make us responsive to the Christian calling to seek and find the forgotten, the suffering, or the deprived so that we may bring them your love. Help us to be generous with our time, our possessions, and ourselves in this mission of charity. Perfect in us your love and teach us to share more fully in the Eucharistic Sacrifice offered for all.

L:  Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, All:  Have mercy on us.

L:  Immaculate Heart of Mary, All:  Pray for us.

L:  St. Vincent de Paul,  All:  Pray for us.

L:  St. Louise de Marillac, All:  Pray for us.

L:  Blessed Frederic Ozanam, All:  Pray for us.

L:  Blessed Rosalie Rendu, All:  Pray for us.

L:  In the Name of the Father, etc.

All:  Amen.

Closing Prayer for Society Meetings: 

All:  Father, grant that we who are nourished by the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist may realize the depth of our needs, respond more spontaneously to the suffering of others, and come to love You more deeply by service to our neighbor.

Grant us also the wisdom and strength to persevere when disappointed or distressed. May we never claim that the fruitfulness of our apostolate springs from ourselves alone. United in prayer and action, may we become a visible sign of Christ and may we give witness to His boundless love, which reaches out to all and draws them to love one another in Him.

We thank You, Lord, for the many blessings which we receive from those whom we visit. Help us to love and respect them, to understand their deeper needs, and to share their burdens and joys as true friends in Christ.

L: That the Cause for the Canonization of Frederic Ozanam, who excelled in the virtue of Christian love, be advanced.

All: Lord, hear us.

L: That our departed friends and relatives, our Vincentian Brothers and Sisters, and those whom we have served, be welcomed into your Kingdom and joined in love.

All:  Lord, hear us.

L: In the Name of the Father, etc.

All:  Amen.