St. Elizabeth of the Trinity Parish
Weekly Reflections
GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
WEEKLY READINGS AND OBSERVANCES - ENGAGE PARISHIONERS IN DAILY MASS AND PRAYER
Readings for the week of March 23, 2025
Sunday: Ex 3:1-8a, 13-15/Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11 (8a)/1 Cor 10:1-6, 10-12/Lk 13:1-9
Scrutiny: Ex 17:3-7/Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9 (8)/Rom 5:1-2, 5-8/Jn 4:5-42 or 4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42
Monday: 2 Kgs 5:1-15b/Ps 42:2, 3; 43:3, 4/Lk 4:24-30
Tuesday: Is 7:10-14; 8:10/Ps 40:7-8a, 8b-9, 10, 11/Heb 10:4-10/Lk 1:26-38
Wednesday: Dt 4:1, 5-9/Ps 147:12-13, 15-16, 19-20/Mt 5:17-19
Thursday: Jer 7:23-28/Ps 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9/Lk 11:14-23
Friday: Hos 14:2-10/Ps 81:6c-8a, 8bc-9, 10-11ab, 14 and 17/Mk 12:28-34
Saturday: Hos 6:1-6/Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab/Lk 18:9-14
Next Sunday: Jos 5:9a, 10-12/Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 (9a)/2 Cor 5:17-21/Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
Scrutiny: 1 Sm 16:1b, 6-7, 10-13a/Ps 23:1-3a, 3b-4, 5, 6 (1)/Eph 5:8-14/
Jn 9:1-41 or 9:1, 6-9, 13-17, 34-38
Observances for the week of March 23, 2025
Sunday: 3rd Sunday of Lent
Monday:
Tuesday: The Annunciation of the Lord
Wednesday:
Thursday:
Friday:
Saturday:
Next Sunday: 4th Sunday of Lent
GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
March 23, 2025
3rd Sunday of Lent
John 4:5-42
My childhood best friend was Xander Price. He was the fastest runner in school, an excellent baseball player and Jewish. Though his family wasn’t intensely religious, I felt totally at home with them despite our religious differences. Everything about their Judaism seemed to undergird and strengthen my own experience of being a Catholic. I knew they didn’t believe in Jesus like my family did, but I intuited somehow that Jesus was “hiding” in their religion. Like a cat moving under a blanket, ready to emerge at any moment, the Lord was hidden there in a special way.
In the Gospel for this third Sunday of Lent, Jesus says, “For if you had believed Moses, you would have believed me, for he wrote of me” (John 5:46). Stunning words, those. Moses wrote about Jesus. The way therefore that we come to know and believe in Jesus is to discover him lurking in Moses’ writings. The Hebrew Scripture is the wonderful womb in which Jesus gestates within a host of images: Adam, Isaac, David, Melchizedek, the Temple, sacrificed lambs, prophets and so on. Right now, in your parish’s OCIA program, soon-to-be baptized people are carefully studying where Jesus is in the writings of Moses, so that they may believe in him. This works for all of us, too, who wish to deepen our knowledge and love of Jesus.
Lenten challenge: Take some time to prayerfully study one of the images of Jesus listed above in the Old Testament. Identify which one you find compelling and consider why this is so. If you don’t know where to start, begin with the prophet Jeremiah as an image of Jesus.
— Father John Muir
(PRACTICING) CATHOLIC - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
(PRACTICING) CATHOLIC – THE PATIENT GARDNER
By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman
Mini Reflection: What I love most about our Savior is that he didn’t — doesn’t — give up on us. “Give me more time,” he says to the Master. “I can still fix this one.”
The Patient Gardener
I have garden beds on the side of my house that I don’t deserve.
When we bought the property, this was one of the features that was highlighted in the listing. “Professional landscaping! Tri-level garden beds that bask in the southern exposure!”
But I’m so terrible at weeding these garden beds — they become overgrown quickly, and I shudder to imagine what the previous owners would think of me if they drove by. I’m afraid they would write me off as lazy or disinterested, when really I’m just exhausted and busy. Every time I try to garden, one of my little assistant gardeners runs near the road and I must abandon the project to save them.
So, my husband, bless his heart, is the savior of these garden beds. He goes out there in the cool of the evening to pluck up the weeds that threaten to overtake this beautiful little garden. Patiently and tenderly, he restores it to a presentable state. Without him, they would be lost.
Perhaps I love these garden beds so much because I identify with them. If I were a garden, I would also be a mess, and people who have no time for messes would write me off as hopeless. We all need a savior to stick up for us, to come and quietly prune the unsightly growths that have taken root in our souls and turn the soil that has sat undisturbed for too long.
What I love most about our Savior is that he didn’t — doesn’t — give up on us. “Give me more time,” he says to the Master. “I can still fix this one.”
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
March 24, 2019
3rd Sunday of Lent
Perhaps this Lent you are working hard to stick with your devotions, avoid hamburgers on Fridays, and fight your temptations for soda since you gave it up for Jesus. You are planting seeds in your spiritual life in hopes of growing them into something beautiful and meaningful. However, you have been trying this approach now for many years, and it is hard to say that much has grown during all that time. You could deduce that what you are doing is not as worthwhile as you once believed. There is no fruit because these things don’t matter. Or you could take a real hard look at your life, see where you are planting those seeds, and finally notice what the problem has been all along. WEEDS!
Too often, we plant seeds over and over again in soil that is not rich in nutrients and is filled with weeds. The weeds choke the life out of any growth that comes to the seeds planted. We think that adding good things to our life will change it, and removal of sin will not be necessary. It is like eating two large hamburgers and a large fries and believing you won’t gain weight because you drank a Diet Coke.
As good stewards who are called to discern how we respond to the call of Jesus Christ, we must be about ripping those weeds out of our lives so the good seeds we plant can grow. For each of us, the weeds are different: money, ego, sex, greed, etc. If we don’t take a good honest look at our lives and make some tough choices, no amount of devotion or good works will make us better disciples. We will simply wait for the next Lent to do the same things all over again
Stoking the Lenten Fire
I think we all can acknowledge that there’s a certain fatigue that comes over us all as we near the end of the Lenten season. Next week is Laetare Sunday, and I find that as soon as those pink vestments start coming out of storage, our collective motivation begins to wane.
I get that. Maybe you’re fatigued — I am, too. Maybe you’re doing well in your resolutions and devotions but you’re in danger of coasting. Or maybe, like many of us this year or in past years, you don’t feel that you have even really begun your Lenten journey.
Either way, chances are that the fire that was in your belly on Ash Wednesday is burning a bit low. All fires eventually do, once they consume whatever fuels them. So here we would do well to remember what fuels our Lenten fire.
Sometimes we make resolutions that have the appearance of being spiritual, but also have an earthly motive. We give up chocolate hoping to lose weight. We stop gossiping so our friends may like us more. There is nothing wrong with these sacrifices — just with their motivations.
As Moses removes his sandals to approach the burning bush, he sees that the fire burns brightly, strongly — but does not consume. It is propelled by something inexhaustible, something which is not of this world.
Is your Lenten fire fueled by God? Are you daily surrendering yourself to the same voice that boomed from the bush in Genesis — the
voice that commanded the Israelites to do what seemed like the impossible?
Why Do We Do That?
Catholic Life Explained.
Mortal versus Venial Sin
Question:
What is the difference between mortal and venial sin?
Answer:
Sin is a deliberate thought, word, action, or omission contrary to God’s law. Since the beginnings of the Church, sin has been distinguished by its gravity. “Grave matter” is traditionally defined by the Ten Commandments. If a person commits a grave sin with full knowledge of the action’s evil and with the complete consent of their will, this is a mortal sin. The effects of mortal sin are grave – the loss of sanctifying grace, which can be restored by a fresh outpouring of God’s mercy in the sacrament of Reconciliation.
Venial sin does not fit one or more of these conditions (for example, a less serious matter still freely chosen or grave matter committed while under force or ignorance of God’s law). The effects of venial sin – while still damaging to the human heart and human society – are less severe. Even so, smaller sins build habits, which can obstruct our growth in virtue. When we are serious about following Jesus, we should do our best to avoid all sin, whether large or small!
Lenten Reading
Question:
Can you recommend some good books for Lenten spiritual reading?
Answer:
On more than one occasion, a coach being interviewed about his team--successful or not--will be asked about the next step. The inevitable response includes something about getting back to basics. Reviewing the fundamentals of the sport strengthens performance and builds confidence.
The best Lenten reading takes us back to the fundamentals. If Lent is the time for the Church to be on retreat, then we should focus on the texts that help us deepen our understanding of our faith. Spend time reading one of the Gospels, and use a Scripture commentary to learn all you can about the passion of Jesus. Read about the lives of the saints, especially your patron saint and that of your parish. Perhaps there is some local candidate for sainthood, like Father Walter Ciszek, SJ, who wrote several faith-inspiring books. Finally, you can use the Catechism of the Catholic Church to learn more about the church's teachings and beliefs. The sections on prayer and the Mass are really great reflections. Focusing on the basics really helps us take another step forward in our faith. We have not only a better understanding of what we believe and practice, but also why we believe. With that belief comes the confidence we need to be better, more faithful witnesses to Christ.
Prayer of Lent
Dear God,
As I fast, may Your presence be my sustenance. As I pray, continue to reveal Yourself to me. As I give to others, may I know You even more deeply.
Amen.
Prayer for Ash Wednesday
Spirit of the Living God,
You have breathed life into me today, from ashes and dust. You invite me to live, walk, and love in your will. Draw me closer to you today, this Lent, and always.
Amen.
Prayer of Listening
Attune the ears of my heart, Lord, to the soft and still ways You are inviting me today. And then give me the strength and courage to respond to what You say.
Amen.
Prayer of Identity
Dear God,
Claim me as Your own.
When I lose my way, remind me that I am Yours.
When I’m plagued with doubt, fill me with Your love.
Amen.
Humor
Growing the Gospel For Our Children
Tap the button below the poster to print the games and puzzle's
(each game uses 2 sheets of paper)
CATHOLIC TRIVIA – JUST FOR FUN
(Click the down arrow for the answer!)
Question: What is the name of the commemorative, prayerful “walk” that Catholics take part in to retrace Christ’s journey to Calvary?
Question: What is the name of the commemorative, prayerful “walk” that Catholics take part in to retrace Christ’s journey to Calvary?
Answer: The Stations of the Cross.
Question: In Italy, where can you find the painting of the crucifixion that, according to tradition, spoke to Saint Thomas Aquinas?
Question: In Italy, where can you find the painting of the crucifixion that, according to tradition, spoke to Saint Thomas Aquinas?
Answer: The Church of San Domenico in Naples.
Question: Which saint who was a Carmelite nun is known as the “Little Flower”?
Question: Which saint who was a Carmelite nun is known as the “Little Flower”?
Answer: St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
Question: What is the name of the first book of the New Testament?
Question: What is the name of the first book of the New Testament?
Answer: Matthew.
Question: What is the definition of the word “bible”?
Question: What is the definition of the word “bible”?
Answer: A collection of books.