Liturgical Leaflet for an Active Participation in the Celebration of the Eucharist

7 March 2010 3rd Sunday of Lent Year C

Called to Bear
Fruits of Holiness
G od’s patience and goodness with us
during this Lenten journey should
not be taken to mean that there is
nothing to change in our behavior.
sists only in avoiding sin. It is also moving
away from doing little for the Lord, to doing
as much as we can for the building of the
Kingdom and for our own sanctification.
It can only mean that the Lord, in His patient Let our participation in this Eucharistic
love for us, is waiting for us to produce the celebration be a renewal of our commitment
fruits of a sincere and lasting conversion. to bear fruits of holiness through the fulfill-
We should not think that conversion con- ment of our duties.

Lenten season, let us Opening Prayer

INTRODUCTORY pause for a moment and
RITES P –Father, you have taught
realize how much we us to overcome our sins by
need his forgiveness. prayer, fasting, and works of
Entrance Antiphon (Pause)
(To be recited only when no En- mercy. When we are dis-
trance Hymn is sung.) P –Lord Jesus, you came to couraged by our weakness,
set us free from the op- give us confidence in your
My eyes are ever fixed on pression of the devil.
the Lord, for he releases my love.
Lord, have mercy! We ask this through our
feet from the snare. O look at All –Lord, have mercy!
me and be merciful, for I am Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
wretched and alone. P –Lord Jesus, you inter- who lives and reigns with
cede for us with God the you and the Holy Spirit, one
Greeting Father. Christ, have God, for ever and ever.
mercy! All –Amen!
P –Blessed be God who
calls us to bear fruits of All –Christ, have mercy!
goodness that will last P –Lord Jesus, you give us LITURGY OF
unto eternal life! May grace and time that we THE WORD
His love and peace be may bear fruits of holi-
with you all! ness. Lord, have mercy! 1st Reading Ex 3:1-8a.13-15
All –And also with you! All –Lord, have mercy! Continuing the presenta-
P –May almighty God have tion of the highlights of Sal-
Penitential Rite mercy on us, forgive us our vation History, the sacred
P –With gratitude to the sins, and bring us to ever- Author today describes two
Lord who calls us to lasting life. very important events in the
conversion in this All –Amen! history of the people of Israel:
the baring of God’s plan to God spoke further to Writing to the Christians of
set His people free and the Moses, “Thus shall you say to Corinth, St. Paul warns them
revelation of His name. Being the Israelites: ‘The Lord, the against making the same mis-
the object of God’s saving God of your fathers, the God take.
plan is a unique honor not of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
the God of Jacob, has sent me R –A proclamation from the
only for Israel but also for us. to you.’ This is my name for- First Letter of Paul to the
R –A proclamation from the ever; thus am I to be remem- Corinthians
Book of Exodus bered through all genera- I do not want you to be un-
tions.” aware, brothers and sisters,
Moses was tending the
flock of his father-in-law The Word of the Lord! that our ancestors were all un-
Jethro, the priest of Midian. All –Thanks be to God! der the cloud and all passed
Leading the flock across the through the sea, and all of
desert, he came to Horeb, the Responsorial Psalm Ps 103 them were baptized into
mountain of God. R –The Lord is kind and Moses in the cloud and in the
There an angel of the Lord merciful! sea. All ate the same spiritual
appeared to Moses in fire food, and all drank the same
flaming out of a bush. As he R. M. Velez spiritual drink, for they
## D F#m drank from a spiritual rock
" !
looked on, he was surprised to

! " !
see that the bush, though on that followed them, and the
fire, was not consumed. So rock was the Christ.
Moses decided, “I must go The Lord is kind and
Yet God was not pleased

##
with most of them, for they
over to look at this remark- A D were struck down in the
" ! "$
able sight, and see why the
"
desert.
bush is not burned.” When These things happened as
the Lord saw him coming examples for us, so that we
mer---ci-----ful!
over to look at it more closely, might not desire evil things, as
God called out to him from they did. Do not grumble as
the bush, “Moses! Moses!” * Bless the Lord, O my soul; some of them did, and suf-
He answered, “Here I am.” and all my being, bless his fered death by the destroyer.
God said, “Come no nearer! holy name. Bless the Lord , O These things happened to
Remove the sandals from my soul, and forget not all his them as an example, and they
your feet, for the place where benefits. R. have been written down as a
you stand is holy ground. I * He pardons all your iniq- warning to us, upon whom
am the God of your fathers,” uities, he heals all your ills. He the end of the ages has come.
he continued, “the God of redeems your life from de- Therefore, whoever thinks
Abraham, the God of Isaac, struction, he crowns you with he is standing secure should
the God of Jacob.” kindness and compassion. R. take care not to fall.
Moses hid his face, for he The Word of the Lord!
was afraid to look at God. But * The Lord secures justice
and the rights of all the op- All –Thanks be to God!
the Lord said, “I have witnessed
the affliction of my people in pressed. He has made known
his ways to Moses, and his Verse before the Gospel
Egypt and have heard their cry
of complaint against their slave deeds to the children of Israel. All –(Glory and praise to you,
drivers, so I know well what R. Lord Jesus Christ!)
they are suffering. Therefore I * Merciful and gracious is Repent, says the Lord;
have come down to rescue them the Lord, slow to anger and the kingdom of heaven is
from the hands of the Egyp- abounding in kindness. For as at hand.
tians and lead them out of that the heavens are high above (Glory and praise to you,
land into a good and spacious the earth, so surpassing is his Lord Jesus Christ!)
land, a land flowing with milk kindness toward those who
and honey.” Moses said to God, fear him. R. Gospel Lk 13:1-9
“But when I go to the Israelites The essence of the pas-
and say to them, ‘The God of 2nd Reading 1 Cor 10:1-6.10-12 sage we are about to hear is
your fathers has sent me to The Israelites had re- an exhortation to repent and
you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is ceived so many favors from bear the fruit of a life lived
his name?’ what am I to tell the Lord, but most of them according to God’s will.
them?” God replied, “I AM
WHO AM.” Then he added,
failed to show their gratitude P –A proclamation from the
“This is what you shall tell the and even disobeyed Him. This holy Gospel according
Israelites: I AM sent me to was the reason why the Lord to Luke
you.” punished them in the desert. All –Glory to you, Lord!

GLOSSARY: • Horeb: Another name for Mount Sinai, the very important site where Moses received his mission from the Lord and the
Ten Commandments, and where he sealed the Covenant between the people of Israel and the Lord God.

7 March 2010
 Some people told Jesus Church, the communion of P –O God, You have been
about the Galileans whose saints, the forgiveness of so patient with us, putting up
blood Pilate had mingled with sins, the resurrection of the with our laziness and moral
the blood of their sacrifices. body and the life everlasting. failings. Strengthen us in our
Jesus said to them in reply, Amen! resolve to live an authentic
“Do you think that because
these Galileans suffered in Christian life, filled with
Prayer of the Faithful works of mercy and love.
this way they were greater sin-
ners than all other Galileans? P –The parable in today’s We ask this in the name of
By no means! But I tell you, if Gospel passage reminds us Jesus, our Model and Savior
you do not repent, you will all of our duty to bear fruits of who lives and reigns forever
perish as they did! Or those good works in our life. and ever.
eighteen people who were Aware of our weakness, let All –Amen!
killed when the tower at Silo- us implore the Lord’s help
am fell on them – do you for ourselves and all other
think they were more guilty LITURGY OF
than everyone else who lived human beings as we say: THE EUCHARIST
in Jerusalem? By no means! All –Merciful God, hear us!
But I tell you, if you do not re- Preparation of the Gifts
C –That the Catholic
pent, you will all perish as Church, under the leader- P –Pray, brethren. . .
they did!” ship of the Holy Father and All –May the Lord accept the
And he told them this par- all the Bishops, may faith- sacrifice at your hands, for
able: “There once was a per- fully fulfill her mission to the praise and glory of his
son who had a fig tree planted name, for our good and the
in his orchard, and when he lead people to salvation, let
us pray! R. good of all his Church.
came in search of fruit on it
but found none, he said to the C –That all those who are Prayer over the Gifts
gardener, ‘For three years suffering, either physically
now I have come in search of or spiritually, especially the P –Lord, by the grace of
fruit on this fig tree but have victims of the earthquake in this sacrifice may we who
found none. So cut it down. Haiti and other calamities, ask forgiveness be ready to
Why should it exhaust the may put their trust in God forgive one another.
soil?’ He said to him in reply, and find support in their We ask this in the name of
‘Sir, leave it for this year also, brothers and sisters, let us Jesus the Lord.
and I shall cultivate the pray! R. All –Amen!
ground around it and fertilize
it. It may bear fruit in the fu- C –That all sinners may heed Preface of Lent II
ture. If not, you can cut it Jesus’ call to conversion and
down.’ ” abandon their wrong way of P –Father, all-powerful and
The Gospel of the Lord! life, let us pray! R. ever-living God, we do well
All –Praise to you, Lord Jesus C –That, like the gardener in always and everywhere to
Christ! Jesus’ parable, we may inter- give you thanks.
cede for our brothers and sis- This great season of grace
Homily ters and help them grow in is your gift to your family to
holiness, let us pray! R. renew us in spirit. You give
Profession of Faith us strength to purify our
C –That all priests may grow hearts, to control our desires,
All–I believe in God, the Fa- daily in their commitment to
ther almighty, Creator of and so to serve you in free-
Christ the Good Shepherd so dom. You teach us how to
heaven and earth.
I believe in Jesus Christ, that they may lead with pas- live in this passing world,
His only Son, our Lord. He toral love the flock entrusted with our heart set on the
was conceived by the power to their care, let us pray!* R. world that will never end.
of the Holy Spirit and born of C –That all of us may dis- Now, with all the saints
the Virgin Mary. He suffered cover anew the grace that and angels, we praise you
under Pontius Pilate, was comes from our faith in the for ever:
crucified, died and was bur- love of the Hearts of Jesus All –Holy, holy, holy . . .
ied. He descended to the and Mary and be trans-
dead. On the third day, he Acclamation
formed into a people with
rose again. He ascended into Christian morality and integ- P –Let us proclaim the
heaven and is seated at the mystery of faith.
right hand of the Father. He rity, let us pray!* R.
All –When we eat this bread
will come again to judge the C –Let us pray in silence for and drink this cup, we
living and the dead. our personal intentions. proclaim your death,
I believe in the Holy (Pause) Lord Jesus, until you
Spirit, the holy Catholic Let us pray! R. come in glory!

3rd Sunday of Lent (C)

 P –Bow your heads and pray P –May He keep you from
COMMUNION for God’s blessing. (Pause) all evil and grant you a
RITE May the Lord empower grateful heart.
you with His grace that all All –Amen!
All –Our Father . . . your thoughts and actions
P –Deliver us, Lord . . . may be like an abundant P –May almighty God bless
All –For the kingdom, the harvest of holiness. you: the Father, and the
power, and the glory are All –Amen! Son, and the Holy Spirit.
yours, now and for ever. All –Amen!
P –May He make you instru-
Sign of Peace ments of His saving grace P –Go in peace to love and
as you do your best to help serve the Lord.
Breaking of the Bread others bear fruits of hon- All –Thanks be to God!
esty, purity and charity.
All –Lamb of God . . . All –Amen!
Communion
P –This is the Lord Jesus
who calls us to conversion
The Call to Produce Abundant Fruit
and to bear fruits of holiness ig trees planted in vineyards receive preferential treatment – well-
in our lives. He is the Lamb tilled soil, good manure, protection from vandals and animals. If
of God who takes away the for one year they do not bear fruit, they are without excuse. The
sins of the world. Happy are decision of the owner of the vineyard in the Gospel to have the barren
those who are called to his fig tree cut down is more than justified. Its performance had definitely
supper. been disappointing. (See Lk 13:7.)
All –Lord, I am not worthy to But barrenness is not a defect that can be found only in trees. It can
receive you, but only say the also be found in people. Spiritual and moral barrenness means the
word and I shall be healed. absence of those dispositions and actions which God has a right to
expect from us. In spite of the much care and love we have received
Communion Antiphon from Him, our response is often disappointing.
(To be recited only when no Com- In most cases, it is not a matter of laziness. We are very active. We
munion Hymn is sung.) do many things. We may even give the impression that we are achiev-
The sparrow even finds a ing a lot . . . . Many of our actions, however, are just like pompous
home, the swallow finds a nest leaves which suck most of our vital energies. We are constantly in
wherein to place her young, danger of forgetting that what matters is not how many things we do,
near to your altars, Lord of but rather, WHAT we do, HOW and WHY we do it. We are expected to
hosts, my King, my God! bear fruits of holiness by doing our duty to the best of our ability and out
How happy are they who of love for God.
dwell in your house! For ever The Lord, of course, is usually patient. But His patience should not
they are praising you. be taken to mean that He is either indifferent to what we do, or that He
N.B. After Communion, we pray the has become unable to check our misbehavior. It simply means that, in
“Prayer for the Year of the Two Hearts.” His love, and thanks to the intercession of Jesus, He gives us another
chance. But a day will come when we will have to account even for
Prayer after Communion these additional signs of love.
These are days of grace; days for an honest evaluation of our
P –Lord, in sharing this sac- performance in the light of God’s generosity and of His expectation. If
rament may we receive your we discover that our life is so full of “leaves” but lacks the fruits of piety,
forgiveness and be brought gratitude, honesty, generosity, purity, sense of responsibility, faith, hope,
together in unity and peace. love . . . we have only one thing to do: UNDERGO CONVERSION and
We ask this through REFORM. In the first part of today’s Gospel, Jesus uses this word
Christ our Lord. twice, both as an exhortation and as a warning. (See vv. 3 and 5.)
All –Amen! But he does more than just exhort and warn us. Not only does he
give the warning and intercede for us with the Father, but he also offers
CONCLUDING us his help to rid us from our barrenness. His teaching, his example,
RITE his grace will produce the miracle, if only we allow him to work in us
and cooperate with him.
P –The Lord be with you. This might be our last chance to finally start producing the long-
All –And also with you! awaited fruits which will delight our divine Master. They will delight our
very selves in the first place.

Don Bosco Compound, A. Arnaiz Ave. cor. Chino Roces Ave., Makati, Metro Manila
WORD & LIFE Postal Address: P.O. Box 1820, MCPO, 1258 Makati, Metro Manila, Philippines
PUBLICATIONS Tel. Nos. 894-5401; 894-5402; 892-2169 • Telefax: 894-5241 • E-mail: editorial@wordandlife.org,
marketing@wordandlife.org • Website:www.wordandlife.org • Editorial Team: Fr. S. Putzu,
G. Ramos, V. Dumanacal, M. Caquilala, D. Daguio, V. David • Illustrations: S. Fabris, B.
Cleofe • Circulation Team: S. Cheng, F. Edjan