3rd SUNDAY OF LENT Year C. Mass prayers and readings.
On this Sunday the first scrutiny in preparation for the Baptism of the catechumens who are to be admitted to the Sacraments of Christian Initiation at the Easter Vigil is celebrated with the proper prayers.
ENTRANCE ANTIPHON
My eyes are always on the Lord, for he rescues my feet from the snare. Turn to me and have mercy on me, for I am alone and poor.
Or:
When I prove my holiness among you, I will gather you from all the foreign lands; and I will pour clean water upon you and cleanse you from all your impurities, and I will give you a new spirit, says the Lord.
[–» Greeting]
In the name of the Father and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
R. And with your spirit.
PENITENCIAL RITE
Brothers and sisters, let us acknowledge our sins, and so prepare ourselves to celebrate the sacred mysteries.
After the silence, all pray
I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters, that I have greatly sinned in my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done and in what I have failed to do, They strike their breast:
through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault; therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints, and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.
The priest says the absolution
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
The people answer:
Amen.
The priest invites all to repent of their sins. A pause for silent reflection follows:
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.
COLLECT
O God, author of every mercy and of all goodness, who in fasting, prayer and almsgiving have shown us a remedy for sin, look graciously on this confession of our lowliness, that we who are bowed down by our conscience may always be lifted up by your mercy. Through our Lord.
READINGS FOR YEAR C (2022, 2025, 2028, 2031…)
READING I
Exodus 3:1–8a, 13–15
Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed. So Moses decided, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.”
When the Lord saw him coming over to look at it more closely, God called out to him from the bush, “Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers,” he continued, “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. But the Lord said, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers, so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Moses said to God, “But when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.”
God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites: The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.
“This is my name forever; thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the Lord, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R.
He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R.
The Lord secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.
R.
Merciful and gracious is the Lord,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
R.
READING II
1st Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians 10:1–6, 10–12
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, that our ancestors were all under the cloud and all passed through the sea, and all of them were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food, and all drank the same spiritual drink, for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was the Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them, for they were struck down in the desert.
These things happened as examples for us, so that we might not desire evil things, as they did. Do not grumble as some of them did, and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example, and they have been written down as a warning to us, upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure should take care not to fall.
VERSE BEFORE THE GOSPEL
Repent, says the Lord; the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
GOSPEL
Luke 13:1–9
Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, 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.’”
FOR TODAY’S SUNDAY REFLECTION, SEE 3rd Sunday of Lent (C): THE NEED FOR REPENTANCE AND CONTINUOUS CONVERSION.
Read: POPE BENEDICT XVI ON THE 3RD SUNDAY OF LENT C
Read: POPE FRANCIS’ REFLECTION FOR THE 3RD SUNDAY OF LENT YEAR C
[–» Creed, Universal Prayer]
[–» Offertory]
Apostles’ Creed
I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, [at the words that follow, up to and including the Virgin Mary, all bow] who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
GENERAL INTERCESSIONS OR PRAYERS OF THE FAITHFUL FOR LENT I
LENT, I
Priest’s Introduction
We should pour forth prayers at all times, dear brothers and sisters, but above all in these days of Lent we ought to watch more intently with Christ and direct our petitions more fervently to God.
Intentions
- For the whole Christian people, that in this sacred time they may be more abundantly nourished by every word that comes from the mouth of God, let us pray to the Lord.
- For the whole world, that in lasting tranquility and peace our days may truly become the acceptable time of grace and salvation, let us pray to the Lord.
- For sinners and the neglectful, that in this time of reconciliation they may return to Christ, let us pray to the Lord.
- For ourselves, that God may at last stir up in our hearts aversion for our sins, let us pray to the Lord.
Priest’s Prayer
Grant, we pray, O Lord, that your people may turn to you with all their heart, so that whatever they dare to ask in fitting prayer they may receive by your mercy. Through Christ our Lord.
R. Amen.
[–» Offertory]
LITURGY OF THE EUCHARIST
PREPARATION OF THE GIFTS
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the bread we offer you: fruit of the earth and work of human hands, it will become for us the bread of life.
–Blessed be God forever.
Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation, for through your goodness we have received the wine we offer you: fruit of the vine and work of human hands it will become our spiritual drink
– Blessed be God forever.
(ALL STAND)
Pray, brethren [brothers and sisters], that my sacrifice and yours may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.
The people answer:
May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good, and the good of all his Church.
PRAYER OVER THE OFFERINGS
Be pleased, O Lord, with these sacrificial offerings, and grant that we who beseech pardon for our own sins may take care to forgive our neighbor. Through Christ our Lord.
[–» Eucharistic Prayer]
When the Gospel of the Samaritan Woman is not read, Preface I or II of Lent is used.
[–» Preface of the Samaritan Woman (Year A) or Preface of Lent]
PREFACE OF LENT II
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
Lift up your hearts.
We lift them up to the Lord.
Let us give thanks to the Lord, our God.
It is right to give Him thanks and praise.
It is truly right and just, our duty and our salvation, always and everywhere to give you thanks, Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God [through Christ our Lord].
For you have given your children a sacred time for the renewing and purifying of their hearts, that freed from disordered affections, they may so deal with the things of this passing world as to hold rather to the things that eternally endure. And so, with all the Angels and Saints, we praise you as without end we acclaim:
The priest reads the preface of the day; when he finishes, everybody say:
Holy, holy, holy Lord, God of hosts,
heaven and earth are full of your glory.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest.
EUCHARISTIC PRAYER III
You are indeed Holy, O Lord, and all you have created rightly gives you praise, for through your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, by the power and working of the Holy Spirit, you give life to all things and make them holy, and you never cease to gather a people to yourself, so that from the rising of the sun to its setting a pure sacrifice may be offered to your name.
(ALL KNEEL)
Therefore, O Lord, we humbly implore you: by the same Spirit graciously make holy these gifts we have brought to you for consecration, that they may become the Body and † Blood of your Son our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we celebrate these mysteries.
For on the night he was betrayed he himself took bread, and giving you thanks he said the blessing, broke the bread and gave it to his disciples, saying:
TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND EAT OF IT, FOR THIS IS MY BODY, WHICH WILL BE GIVEN UP FOR YOU.
In a similar way, when supper was ended, he took the chalice, and giving you thanks he said the blessing, and gave the chalice to his disciples, saying:
TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT, FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT, WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS.
DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.
The mystery of faith.
We proclaim your Death, O Lord, and profess your Resurrection until you come again.
Therefore, O Lord, as we celebrate the memorial of the saving Passion of your Son, his wondrous Resurrection and Ascension into heaven, and as we look forward to his second coming, we offer you in thanksgiving this holy and living sacrifice.
Look, we pray, upon the oblation of your Church and, recognizing the sacrificial Victim by whose death you willed to reconcile us to yourself, grant that we, who are nourished by the Body and Blood of your Son and filled with his Holy Spirit, may become one body, one spirit in Christ.
May he make of us an eternal offering to you, so that we may obtain an inheritance with your elect, especially with the most blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, with your blessed Apostles and glorious Martyrs [with Saint N: the Saint of the day or Patron Saint] and with all the Saints, on whose constant intercession in your presence we rely for unfailing help.
May this Sacrifice of our reconciliation, we pray, O Lord, advance the peace and salvation of all the world. Be pleased to confirm in faith and charity your pilgrim Church on earth, with your servant N. our Pope and [N.] our Bishop, the Order of Bishops, all the clergy, and the entire people you have gained for your own.
Listen graciously to the prayers of this family, whom you have summoned before you: in your compassion, O merciful Father, gather to yourself all your children scattered throughout the earth.
† To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your kingdom.
There we hope to enjoy for ever the fullness of your glory through Christ our Lord, through whom you bestow on the world all that is good. †
[–»Through him, and with him…]
(ALL STAND)
COMMUNION RITE
At the Savior’s command and formed by divine teaching, we dare to say:
Our Father, Who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Deliver us, Lord, we pray, from every evil, graciously grant peace in our days, that, by the help of your mercy, we may be always free from sin and safe from all distress, as we await the blessed hope and the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are yours, now and forever.
Lord Jesus Christ, you said to your apostles: I leave you peace, my peace I leave you. Look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance to your will, who live and reign for ever and ever. Amen.
The peace of the Lord be with you always.
And with your spirit.
Let us offer each other the sign of peace
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: have mercy on us.
Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world: grant us peace.
Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world. Blessed are those called to the supper of the Lamb.
Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed.
The Body of Christ.
Amen.
COMMUNION ANTIPHON
When the gospel of the Samaritan woman is read (Year A):
For anyone who drinks it, says the Lord, the water I shall give will become in him a spring welling up to eternal life.
When other gospels are read:
The sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest where she sets her young: your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Blessed are they who dwell in your house, forever singing your praise.
[–» Communion]
PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION
As we receive the pledge of things yet hidden in heaven, and are nourished while still on earth with the Bread that comes from on high, we humbly entreat you, O Lord, that what is being brought about in us in mystery may find completion in our deeds. Through Christ our Lord.
[–» Concluding Rite]
PRAYER OVER THE PEOPLE
Direct, O Lord, we pray, the hearts of your faithful, and in your kindness grant your servants this grace: that, abiding in the love of you and their neighbor, they may fulfill the whole of your commands. Through Christ our Lord.
CONCLUDING RITE
The Lord be with you.
And with your spirit.
May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.Amen.
The Mass is ended.
Go in peace glorifying the Lord by your life.
Thanks be to God.
PRAYER TO ST. MICHAEL THE ARCHANGEL
St. Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle.
Be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the Devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray,
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly hosts,
by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan,
and all the evil spirits,
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.
SONGS
ENTRANCE SONG: HOLY GOD WE PRAISE YOUR NAME
Holy God, we praise Your name;
Lord of all, we bow before You;
All on earth Your scepter claim,
All in heav’n above adore You.
Infinite Your vast domain,
Everlasting is Your reign.
OFFERTORY: LORD, I OFFER MY LIFE TO YOU
All that I am, all that I have
I lay them down before You, oh Lord
All my regrets, all my acclaims
The joy and the pain, I’m making them Yours
REFRAIN:
Lord, I offer my life to You
Everything I’ve been through, use it for Your glory
Lord I offer my days to You
Lifting my praise to You as a pleasing sacrifice
Lord I offer You my life
Things in the past, things yet unseen
Wishes and dreams that are yet to come true
All of my hope, all of my plans
My heart and my hands are lifted to You. REFRAIN
COMMUNION: POWER OF LOVE
Lord I come to You
Let my heart be changed renewed
Flowing from the grace
That I’ve found in You
Lord I’ve come to know
The weakness I see in me
Will be stripped away
By the power of Your love
chorus
Hold me close let Your love surround me
Bring me near
Draw me to Your side
And as I wait
I’ll rise up like the eagle
And I will soar with You
Your Spirit leads me on
In the power of Your love
Lord unveil my eyes
Let me see You face to face
The knowledge of Your love
As You live in me
Lord renew my mind
As Your will unfolds in my life
In living every day
By the power of Your love
(repeat chorus 2 times)
SOUL OF CHRIST
Soul of Christ, sanctify me
Body of Christ save me
Water from the side of Christ
Wash me, Passion of Christ
Give me strength
Chorus:
Hear me Jesus
Hide me in thy wounds
That I may never leave thy side
From all the evil that surrounds me
Defend me and when the call of death arrives
Bid me come to thee
That I may praise thee
With thy saints forever
SALVE REGINA CAELITUM
Salve Regina caelitum, O Maria
Tuum spes fidelium, O Maria
Exsultate cherubim,
Iubilate seraphim,
Salve, salve, salve Maria.
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