Second Sunday of Lent
1 March 2026
The story of the transfiguration directs us away from trying to understand Jesus only as he is revealed in glory. It points us down the mountain and invites us to walk with Jesus into the suffering, hungry crowds. The divine voice commands us to listen to Jesus. But listening is more than hearing. As Jesus says in the Sermon on the Mount, building on the rock means not only hearing his words, but acting on them (Matthew 7:24). Hearing without obeying leads to catastrophe.
At Gethsemane, when Jesus himself faces the temptation to disobey his Father and abandon the road to the cross, the same three disciples who saw him transfigured wait with him while he grieves and prays. He passes the test, but they do not. He walks steadfastly on to suffering and death, and they desert him and flee. On the cross Jesus shows the world the obedient Son of God in all his suffering humanity, pouring out his blood for the forgiveness of sins. After the resurrection, the Son of God appears to the disciples with all his divine authority, calling them to baptize and to teach people to obey his commands. Then he sends them down the mountain and into the world he loves, promising them that he will be with them always. We too are sent; we too must listen and obey. And the promise of his presence is ours as well.
Judith Jones
workingpreacher.org
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Third Sunday of Lent
8 March 2026
If we look again at this week’s Gospel of Jesus’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:5-42), we can find aspects of love. Let us begin by imagining that we are also at Jacob’s well with Jesus as he asks the Samaritan woman for a drink of water. We are shocked.
The Gospel says Jews used nothing in common with Samaritans (John 4:10). But in reaching out across cultural and gender barriers, Jesus is showing a magnanimous love that does not insist on its own way. Jesus went further in this outpouring of love, offering her ‘living water,’ precisely because he knew about her past. And the woman, undoubtedly at first shocked and irritated that Jesus, a Jew, had occupied her space, changed too in the dramatic encounter. She left behind her water jar (John 4:28) as she returned to her village to share how her encounter with Jesus changed her heart. It was a small gesture on her part, a sign that her heart, once irritated, was now filled with love.
As this week unfolds, you might spend a few minutes each day reflecting on Jesus’ outpouring of love, his living water, and how it is available to you, right now. And think of the Samaritan woman, her life radically changed by encountering the Messiah, and her water jar, a small gesture of her love. What small gesture of love can you offer this week, to a person who irritates you?
Roger Sullivan
trinity.org
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Third Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
15 March 2026 • Mother’s Day
The simple fact is that Jesus healed the blind man. Someone who previously could not see was blessed with the gift of sight. What happens after that in today’s Gospel is a sharp warning against following the letter of the law but forgetting why we are following it in the first place.
It’s true: what Jesus did would have been seen as contentious, and not only by Scribes and Pharisees. The religious laws and actions that the people of that culture followed were incredibly specific. Even now, for some modern-day religions, the punishments for what may seem like very small omissions are punishable by real and lasting violence, not least by being shunned by your own community, let alone physical violence. It was even worse then, though.
So, what Jesus did was extraordinary. He knew this. He understood that the repercussions of healing someone on the Sabbath would have led to hot and dangerous debate in the community. He didn’t back down. The real blindness that Jesus is trying to heal is that of the Pharisees and Scribes. And this can invite us to question ourselves.
Can our personal understanding of God, of Jesus, make us blind? Can the way that we might bend the Gospel so that we follow it in a more comfortable way undermine our status as Christians? Can we be pleasant to some but unpleasant to others, welcoming to some but dismissive of others? After all, what is a Christian but someone who follows Christ and tries to be his ambassador?
Lent is a wonderful opportunity to realign ourselves with Christ. How are we going to do this today?
Mount St Joseph Abbey
msjroscrea.ie
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St Patrick, Bishop, Principal Patron of Ireland
17 March 2026 • Day of Prayer for Emigrants
The second parable in today’s Gospel, about the tiny mustard seed growing into a large shrub, speaks to the unexpected and powerful growth of God’s Kingdom from humble origins.
St Patrick’s work in Ireland started small but had a massive impact, much like the mustard seed. His life demonstrates how a single individual’s courageous response to God’s call can lead to an expansive spiritual legacy. His Confession reveals someone who in true humility placed his mission in God’s hands confident that God would bring growth through all Patrick’s humble efforts however small or seemingly insignificant. This parable reminds us that our small efforts, when done out of love for God, can bear fruit in ways we could never have imagined. We are encouraged not to lose heart, even when our efforts seem insignificant, but to trust that God works powerfully through our faithfulness. It was that perseverance in faith and trust despite the hardships, misunderstandings and hostility that Patrick experienced which made him a model of faith. The image from the parable of many birds nesting in the branches of the mustard tree illustrates how Patrick helped build a church in Ireland that was inclusive, that welcomed all who had a heart open to the Gospel message, a Church that offered shelter and hospitality to many. Something to bear in mind as we see people seeking shelter and protection in Ireland today.
In summary, the readings for St Patrick’s Day call for humility, patience, and a courageous commitment to nurturing the good in ourselves and the world, following St Patrick’s example of humble service and deep faith.
Patrick O’Connor
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Fifth Sunday of Lent
22 March 2026
Set against the backdrop of Jesus’ impending Death, many elements of the raising of Lazarus foreshadow the good news of Jesus’ own Resurrection. Jesus, facing the conflict with the Jewish authorities, acts in complete obedience to God. In raising Lazarus, Jesus shows his power over death so that when Jesus dies, those who believe in him might remember that and take hope. Just as Jesus calls for the stone to be rolled away from Lazarus’s tomb, so too will the disciples find the stone rolled away from Jesus’ tomb. Likewise, each of us, as a result of our Baptism, can recognise how Jesus has rolled away the stones of our own tombs and called us to new life. We, in turn, are sent forth to bring hope of new life to others who are entombed by suffering, despair, and injustice.
Who are some of the people/groups of people in society today who are ‘entombed’ by suffering, despair, and injustice?
How can we bring hope and new life to those who are ‘entombed’ by these realities?
When was a time that someone brought hope and new life to you?
What are some of the ‘stones’ that need to be ‘rolled away’ in our society so that people may truly be free from injustice?
Joe Paprocki
catechistsjourney.loyolapress.com
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Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
29 March 2026
Two processions entered Jerusalem on a spring day in the year 30. One was a peasant procession, the other an imperial procession. From the east, Jesus rode a donkey down the Mount of Olives, cheered by his followers. Jesus was from the peasant village of Nazareth, his message was about the kingdom of God, and his followers came from the peasant class. On the opposite side of the city, from the west, Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Idumea, Judea and Samaria, entered Jerusalem at the head of a column of imperial cavalry and soldiers. Jesus’s procession proclaimed the kingdom of God; Pilate’s proclaimed the power of empire. The two processions embody the central conflict of the week that led to Jesus’s crucifixion. Jesus’s procession deliberately countered what was happening on the other side of the city. Pilate’s procession embodied the power, glory and violence of the empire that ruled the world. Jesus’ procession embodied an alternative vision, the Kingdom of God. The king, riding on a donkey, will banish war from the land – no more chariots, warhorses or bows. Commanding peace to the nations, Jesus will be a king of peace. It was the standard practice of the Roman governors of Judea to be in Jerusalem for the Jewish festivals to be in the city in case there was trouble. The mission of the troops with Pilate was to reinforce the Roman garrison permanently stationed in the Fortress Antonia, overlooking the Jewish Temple and its courts. No wonder, the Roman governor realised how the peasant procession was a threat to his government and, hence, its leader should be exterminated.
Fr Antony Kadavil
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