R. We pray for God's mercy –
                    Dear God you are kind to me, God –
                        make me to be happy and have a clean heart.

                    Dear God be merciful we have sinned.
 

Matthew 6: 7-15

How to pray. The Lord’s Prayer

‘In your prayers do not babble as the gentiles do, for they think that by using many words they will make themselves heard. Do not be like them; your Father knows what you need before you ask him. So you should pray like this:

    Our Father in heaven,
    may your name be held holy,
    your kingdom come,
    your will be done,
    on earth as in heaven.
    Give us today our daily bread.
    And forgive us our debts,
    as we have forgiven those
      who are in debt to us.
    And do not put us to the test,
    but save us from the Evil One. 

‘Yes, if you forgive others their failings, your heavenly Father will forgive you yours; but if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive your failings either.

                R. Story – a preacher was telling his congregation
                    of evils of smoking and alcohol
 

                R. He preached for 15 minutes

                Then he checked the worms –

                The worm was dead in alcohol and smoke and
                    chocolate and alive in the Garden soil –

                The preacher said – what does this mean
                    a lady said – if you drink and smoke and eat
                        chocolate – you won't get worms.

                When you hold onto anger and not forgiving
                    you are like drinking poison –

                Anger is like that –

                Anger eats yourself up inside –

                It makes chemicals like a small burning
                    fire inside –

                The worse thing is to carry anger inside
                    thinking about it, it isn't healthy
                    psychologically, it isn't healthy
                    spiritually –

                Jesus taught us the Our Father and at
                    the end told us about forgiveness –

                Who do we need to forgive –
                    others who snubbed us, was unkind,
                    did something to us –

                But most of all we must forgive ourselves –
                    we all do terrible things, but that
                    doesn't make us a terrible person –
                    we need to admit the sin we did.

                Forgive God – we shouldn't try to make God
                    accept our will, but do His will –
                    Why do we think God should do what
                    we want –

                The Prodigal Son.

                    Our whole life is to be lived in realizing
                our relationship with God. God is our Father, Lent
                is a time to focus on our love of God, our love
                for the Heavenly Father.

                    We are here like little children trying to please
                our heavenly Father. We do not want to waiver like
                the Son who left the Father and spent his money
                and opposed the Father's plan. Our whole life
                should be lived trying to do the Heavenly Father's
                will and not our will opposed to God.

                    Our life can be compared to the Prodigal
                Son and us realizing how the Father wants
                all His children to come to Him and love
                Him and serve Him according to His Plan –

Luke 15: 11-31

The lost son (the ‘prodigal’) and the dutiful son

Then he said, ‘There was a man who had two sons. The younger one said to his father, "Father, let me have the share of the estate that will come to me," So the father divided the property between them. A few days later, the younger son got together everything he had and left for a distant country where he squandered his money on a life of debauchery.

When he had spent it all, that country experienced a severe famine, and now he began to feel the pinch; so he hired himself out to one of the local inhabitants who put him on his farm to feed the pigs. And he would willingly have filled himself with the husks the pigs were eating but no one would let him have them. Then he came to his senses and said, "How many of my father’s hired men have all the food they want and more, and here am I dying of hunger! I will leave this place and go to my father and say: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired men." So he left the place and went back to his father.

‘While he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity. He ran to the boy, clasped him in his arms and kissed him. Then his son said, : "Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son." But the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring out the best robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the calf we have been fattening and kill it; we will celebrate by having a feast, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; he was lost and is found." And they began to celebrate.

‘Now the elder son was out in the fields, and on his way back, as he drew near the house, he could hear music and dancing. Calling one of the servants he asked what it was all about. The servant told him, "Your brother has come, and your father has killed the calf we had been fattening because he has got him back safe and sound." He was angry then and refused to go in, and His father came out and began to urge him to come in; but he retorted to his father, "All these years I have slaved for you and never once disobeyed any orders of yours, yet you never offered me so much as a kid for me to celebrate with my friends. But, for this son of yours, when he comes back after swallowing up your property – he and his loose women – you kill the calf we have been fattening.

‘The father said, "My son, you are with me always and all I have is yours. But it was only right we should celebrate and rejoice, because your brother here was dead and has come to life; he was lost and is found.’

                R. We go to our Father's house we hope
                eternally. God gives us gifts to use for His
                Plan.

                    We need to work on our relationship with God,
                loving God and being humble. We need to go to the
                heavenly Father and tell Him we have sinned and are
                sorry for our sins. We need to repent for our sins.
                We know the Father's mercy and forgiveness when we
                come with a contrite heart.

                God calls us – look at Jonah the prophet – he was
                afraid and ungrateful and ran away from God's
                calling – God didn't let him get away.

                Dear God, please forgive us, we thank You for
                    Your kindness and mercy, help us to do
                    Your will today – help us to love and serve You
                    God –

                Sing: Jesus Remember Me when you come into your Kingdom

                Sing: Prayer of St. Francis

                Sing: Pardon Your People

Ezekiel 18: 21-28

    'If the wicked, however, renounces all the sins he has committed, respects my laws and is law-abiding and upright, he will most certainly live; he will not die. None of the crimes he committed will be remembered against him from then on; he will most certainly live because of his upright actions.  Would I take pleasure in the death of the wicked — declares the Lord Yahweh — and not prefer to see him renounce his wickedness and live? 

    'But if the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong by copying all the loathsome practices of the wicked, is he to live? All his upright actions will be forgotten from then on; for the infidelity of which he is guilty and the sin which he has committed, he will most certainly die.

    ‘Now, you say, "What the Lord does is unjust." Now listen, House of Israel: is what I do unjust? Is it not what you do that is unjust? When the upright abandons uprightness and does wrong and dies, he dies because of the wrong which he himself has done. Similarly, when the wicked abandons wickedness to become law–abiding and upright, he saves his own life. Having chosen to renounce all his previous crimes, he will most certainly live: he will not die.

Matthew 5: 20-26

‘For I tell you, if your uprightness does not surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of Heaven.

    ‘You have heard how it was said to our ancestors, You shall not kill; and if anyone does kill he must answer for it before the court. But I say this to you, anyone who is  angry with a brother will answer for it before the court; anyone who calls a brother "Fool" will answer for it before the Sanhedrin; and anyone who calls him "Traitor" will answer for it in hell fire. So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering. Come to terms with your opponent in good time while you are still on the way to the court with him, or he may hand you over to the judge and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison. In truth I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the last penny.