St Peters RC Church Hamilton

“Then I will give them one heart, and I will put a new spirit within them, and take the stony heart out of
their flesh, and give them a new heart of flesh, that they may walk in My statutes and keep My
judgments and do them, and they shall be My people, and I will be their God.” Ezekiel 11 v 19, 20
Sunday, what a truly lovely day,
To while away the time with You, Lord,
Slowly, leisurely, relaxedly,
Simply enjoying Your company quietly.
A time to feel free of the everyday
With its ever over busy concerns, preoccupations,
Journeys to and fro destinations.
An enjoyable time to walk with You consciously.
“The joy of the Lord is my strength.” based on Nehemiah 8 v 10
A time to talk with You more conscientiously.
I suppose, thinking reflectively upon time,
Lent is something akin to this day.
Lent is a time set aside specifically,
A time of offering worship collectively in community,
United as one within Your body, dear Lord.
A time for prayer where we can express much
To keep in touch from the heart.
“And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts... And will delight myself in Your commandments
which I love.” Psalm 119 v 45, 47
And surely this relationship must start by remorse,
Expressed of course, as a resolve to do better,
To turn away from sin so as to begin again.
A time to listen more carefully, attentively,
So as to seek holy wisdom and guidance,
Looking for, listening out for a movement of Your Spirit.
Yes, Sunday and Lent are a time of true merit.
The Eucharist is celebrated joyously for we are God’s family.

“Sunday, the ‘Lord’s Day’, is the principle day for the celebration of the Eucharist because it is
the day of the resurrection. It is the pre-eminent day of the liturgical assembly, the day of the
Christian family, and the day of joy and rest from work. Sunday is the ‘foundation and kernel of
the liturgical year’.” Sc 106 Catechism of the Catholic Church 1193

We are invited by You as a Trinity,
To become more holy in our thoughts, ideas,
In our attractions, actions, decisions, ventures.
Let us then not fritter this time away
But resolve to pray more ardently, wholeheartedly.
For one thing we must certainly keep imprinted firmly
On the forefront of our mind to find life made satisfactory.
“You will call upon Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me
when you seek Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29 v 12, 13 NIV

“Revive me according to Your word. I have declared my ways, and You answered me. Teach me Your
statutes. Make me understand the way of Your precepts; so shall I meditate on Your wonderful works.”
Psalm 119 v 25, 26, 27
O Lord, dear Jesus, Word and life to us, come to us this day, this precious, special day, Sunday,
to help us to keep company with You contentedly.
Thank You that by Your Spirit, You enable us to become one in heart and mind, a praying
community who desire to follow the ways You show us.
These ways are the ways of love our Father lays down as a necessity for mankind. Enliven us by
Your Spirit, that a spiritual and moral transformation can take place.
Obviously this cannot happen in only one day, but we are gifted Lent to be a time of serious
reflection and preparation for the joys of Easter.
Let this season be a time of joy found in forgiveness. “Praise the LORD! Oh, give thanks to
Psalm 106 v 1 the LORD, for He is good!” Let us acknowledge this together.
Cont. “For His mercy endures forever.” Lord Jesus, You are our Saviour. “Who can utter the
v2 mighty acts of the Lord?” You can and You do, thank You.
You are truth in all sincerity. Your ways are perfectly holy. You led a reverent, obedient, God
honouring life so as to inspire us.
v3 “Blessed are those who keep justice, and (s)he who does righteousness at all times.”
May Your Spirit always help us with this.
v4 “Remember us, O LORD,” Word of our Father, “With the favour You have toward Your
the singular people,” the favour of merciful love seen in forgiveness.
invocation made plural
“O visit us with Your salvation, that we may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, that we
v5 may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation and may glory with Your inheritance.”
Thank You for Sunday. May I remain more conscious of Your company, not only as my all holy
Brother, an inspiration, but as Saviour of the world.
Lord Jesus, we all stand in dire need of You. Reach out to us in Lent as those already blessed to
have met You, prepare for Easter joy.
Please keep Your Spirit active amongst us, that the best news ever of holy love and mercy,
becomes evident to everybody who seeks to find life’s fulfilment.
Thank You for offering us a share in Your perfect holiness. What true merit we enjoy. Keep our
eyes fixed upon You as we meet with You in holy communion, enabled and empowered by the
Holy Spirit.
“The Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as
Romans 8 v 26 we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us...”
Thank You for this is so encouraging, helping us to sense Your closeness and involvement with
us, the Holy Spirit praying with us to strengthen and support our invocations.
Sometimes we cannot put our thoughts, feelings, impressions into words as they flow from the
heart. May Sundays, the Eucharist and the 40 days of Lent enable us to be more open to the
Spirit.
May we in this time “Building ourselves up in our most holy faith, praying in the Holy

Spirit, keep ourselves in the love of God, looking for Your mercy, Lord Jesus, the Christ,
based on Jude 20 leading us into eternal life.”
I ask this in Your name of redeeming love, shaped at Your †of mercy, that which enables us to
glory spiritually. And I thank You for this time spent in prayer. It makes me so happy!
What true merit develops as we seek and find You, Lord Jesus, listening and learning, praying
effectively. You are indeed fullness of life to us.
Psalm 119 v 105 “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Thank You. May I always resolve to
spend as much time as is possible consciously in Your company. Amen.

10.03.19