Hymns for Mass – Press Here

FIRST READING (The confession of faith of the chosen people.)

A reading from the Book of Deuteronomy (26:4-10)

Moses spoke to the people, saying: “The priest shall receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the Lord, your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation great, strong, and numerous. When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits of the products of the soil which you, O Lord, have given me.’ And having set them before the Lord, your God, you shall bow down in his presence.” —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

RESPONSORIAL PSALM (91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15)

Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble. (Cf. Ps 91:15b)

You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, say to the Lord, “My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.” (R)

No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to his angels he has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. (R)

Upon their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon. (R)

Because he clings to me, I will deliver him; I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress; I will deliver him and glorify him. (R)

SECOND READING (The confession of faith of all believers in Christ.)

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (10:8-13)

Brothers and sisters: What does Scripture say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart—that is, the word of faith that we preach—for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” —The Word of the Lord.

R. Thanks be to God.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Mt 4:4b)

Glory and praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God. (R)

GOSPEL (Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert and was tempted.)

A reading from the holy Gospel according to 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. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” Then the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be

yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written: You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and 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 your God, to the test.” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Jesus for a time. —The Gospel of the Lord.

R. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayers

Celebrant: The Gospel tells us that the Lord went to face his temptations in the wilderness filled with the Holy Spirit. Let us pray to the Father filled with that same, Spirit of strength and confidence.

READER: That, led by our Holy Father Francis and the Bishops, the pilgrim Church may proclaim “the Word, that is the faith,” (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That God our Father reveal his Christ to all our catechumens more and more with every passing day, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER That those among us who are afflicted with moral weaknesses may receive abundantly the grace to resist temptations, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: That our Lenten journey this year increase our witness of unity and generous love, and we never fall into fear or despair to put God to the test, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

READER: For the living and deceased members of the Edwards and Tsoi families for whom this Mass is offered, and for the intentions we carry in our hearts, (Pause) LET US PRAY TO THE LORD.

CELEBRANT: Father of Mercy, and God of all creation, you gather us here to offer the atoning sacrifice of your Son. We ask you to hear our prayers which the Holy Spirit inspires us to make, through Christ, our Lord. (all) AMEN.

Homily

Deut. 26: 4-10
Rom. 10: 8-13
Luke 4: 1-13

“Salvation is a Gift”

Strange as this may seem, it is very difficult for many of us to accept gifts. We may like to give them to others, but when we do receive gifts from others, we feel compelled to reciprocate in some way – and often giving in exchange a gift of comparable or slightly higher value. Perhaps one reason for this is that we do no like to be obligated or indebted to someone else, or perhaps we are convinced that we don’t deserve such a gift! Or maybe we want to be assured that what is ours is really OURS, with no strings attached.

In a slightly different manner, we sometimes are convinced that we must make up for lost time at home, at work, or at school. There is a certain level of performance that is expected by us and by others, and we are bound to meet it, and – if possible – to even exceed it. Too often, we gauge our self-worth by the quality of accomplishments. And yet, in our situation in Hong Kong today, how do we evaluate ourselves today? How do we have accomplishments shut off, separated, and avoiding others? And’ these attitudes of gifts and accomplishments can carry over into our understanding of our faith, particularly during this season of Lent.

We know that Lent is a time to make amends, to perform acts of devotion or self-discipline that will hopefully balance the scales. But, in reality this may be quite futile because we may never truly balance the scales. If we look carefully at the readings for Lent, we discover that God does not require this from us. The readings, instead, show us that SALVATION is a free gift from God, not a reward that is earned. It is simply there – there for us to take.

Throughout the Sundays of Lent, our first readings recount episodes from the history of Israel that demonstrate God’s graciousness to the people. And all the passages from the New Testament for our 2nd readings will highlight the role that Christ has played in our salvation. The Gospels for each Sunday reveal Jesus’ glory even in the face of suffering, as well as the compassion and mercy of God. So that, any call to repentance is only indirect. The readings of Lent assure us how much God has loved us. They insist that we should be grateful, trust in God, and – if necessary – reform our lives to strengthen the bonds with Christ.

Today’s first reading from Deuteronomy is one of the most important creedal statements of the Old Testament. It describes God’s initial call to Abraham and God’s graciousness in delivering the people of Israel. The people turned to God in their need, and God saved them from the bondage of Egypt. The sacrifice that they offered was one, not of reparation, but of thanksgiving for God’s goodness. The psalm response proclaims God’s protection over us and his assistance to us. There is no “quid pro quo” but genuine, free pure gift.

In our 2nd reading, St. Paul underlines the same point, reminding us that it is not good works alone that save us, but faith or openness to God. He must have shocked the community at Rome, more or less saying there is no advantage to older members before God – even new members are blessed and given this gift of grace. What is most important is genuine faith that justifies us.

The Gospel retells the story of the temptations of Jesus. Many commentators agree that these temptations represent some of the prominent messianic expectations of that time. The people believed that the Messiah would feed the hungry, release the nation from the domination of foreign powers, or call on the extraordinary power of God to perform miracles. These were all admirable deeds and aspirations – even today, who wants to go hungry, or be oppressed? Who would not welcome some demonstration of God’s miraculous power – specially now over an invisible virus? So, why are these good works presented as TEMPTATIONS? It seems that the real temptations are subtle, not so obvious, and we too are frequently tempted to do good things, but for the wrong reasons or in inappropriate ways.

So, Jesus – in the face of each temptation – reminds us that the heart of righteousness is commitment to God, and not performance for others. Jesus will feed the hungry, he will deliver people from bondage, and he will demonstrate the marvelous power of God, but he will do these feats in God’s time and in a manner that will please the Father, and not the crowds. Jesus never bargains for results. Our readings show us what God has already done for us. They call us not only to repent of our sins, but rather to open our hearts to God in faith. They demonstrate the importance of fidelity to God’s promptings in life.

Penance still has a role to play in Lent. But whatever form of penance we take on, should enable us to recommit ourselves to God who has been so gracious and generous to us. Our good works, prayer and penance should strengthen our faith and trust in God. These works should open our eyes to the fact that God is indeed “our refuge and fortress, the source of our salvation, the one in whom we can trust.”