Lenten Prayer

God of all love, 

We remember that on the night before he died

Your son, Jesus, prayed

that his friends ‘may all be one.’ 

Yet we see so much division in the world.

War, conflict, violence and hatred

must all distress you. 

Millions of people suffer

when they don’t have peace and respect.

They lack the necessities of life: food, water,

health, education and security.

We pray that we may all

Unite Against Poverty this Lent.

May our support for Project Compassion

be a sign to ourselves and others,

of our hope for a better world.

This Lent, we pray that our dedication

to prayer, fasting and almsgiving

will help restore your vision of justice and peace.

Guided by the Holy Spirit,

we pray in Jesus’ name,

Amen.  

Project Compassion is our main fundraiser at this time please support us in our efforts at Kildare Catholic College.

Caritas REFLECTION for THIRD SUNDAY of LENT                                                                           Exodus17:3-7 | Ps 95:1-2, 6-7. 8-9. R. v.8 | Romans 5:1-2, 5-8 | John 4:5-42

Last Sunday’s readings may well cause us to reflect on the current state of God’s creation. In the book of Exodus, we hear that people are complaining to Moses because they are dying of thirst. In the Gospel, Jesus meets a woman in a Samaritan town. She has come to draw water from the well in the hottest part of the day. In both cases, access to water is precarious. Yet God responds not only to a thirst for water but to a deeper thirst as well. Moses’ people are thirsty for direction, leadership and hope. The woman in John’s Gospel has a thirst for love and acceptance which, Jesus tells her, will come from within if she is able to accept him and his message of life. As the story unfolds, we learn of her loneliness and see her reconnecting with her community.

In reflecting on this story in Listening Together, Cardinal Radcliffe reminds us that Jesus’ first words are abrupt. ‘Give me a drink.’ He considers the times in John’s Gospel when Jesus expresses thirst, including when he is on the cross. Radcliffe concludes that Jesus is thirsty on our behalf. He longs for our freedom. 

Thirst is a great spiritual metaphor, one which Pope Leo XIV has used. But let’s not forget the millions of people for whom physical water is a real challenge. This week, Project Compassion shares with us the story of Monoranjon, a farmer in Bangladesh whose family has been deeply impacted by environmental damage, specifically salination of soil and water. This beautiful story reminds us of the importance of meeting people, as Jesus did, at their place of greatest need.

Our thirst for freedom and justice enables us to Unite Against Poverty.

Ondre Nejman | Leader of Faith Formation and Mission