9 March: First Sunday of Lent
We’re beginning the season of Lent, traditionally forty days of eating less, praying more, and giving more to charity
We are preparing for commemorating the Last Supper on Thursday before Easter, Good Friday when Jesus gave his life for us, and Easter when he rose from the dead. When we were baptised we began to share in the life he gave at Easter which led him to live again. In Communion we continue to share his life – he is the bread of life so we eat communion – but also in all the sacraments: penance/confession, confirmation, marriage, anointing, ordination (to become a priest).
To do on Sunday:
Bring your baptismal candle and ensure it is lit on the table like the last time; some people will prepare to read the Prayer of the Faithful (other page) and bring up the bread and wine.
We’ll sing the hymn to St Patrick together after the homily. Be ready to sing it together!
Questions to help you chat at home:
We begin the season of Lent around this time. Lent is the season before Easter and includes forty days of fasting. We don’t fast during Lent much now, but people did do intermittent fasting every weekday of Lent (not on Sundays) and gave up all animal products. They were vegans for the whole of Lent! That was all very hard. Today, we choose what to do ourselves during Lent, but on the first day (Ash Wednesday) and on Good Friday older people still shouldn’t eat meat and should do some fasting.
- Are you doing anything for Lent this year?
- Did you open up your Trócaire box which Fr Fergus gave you in school?
- Did you look at the family whose picture is on the Trócaire box this year?
- What do you recall about their story?
- St Patrick’s Day is soon. What do you know about St Patrick?
- Where did he come from?
- What job did he have as a slave in Ireland?
- When he came back to Ireland he baptised lots of people. Do you know the story about when he baptised the king of Munster?
Invitation
Maybe you could come to Mass on Holy Thursday which is the anniversary of the Last Supper and bring your Trócaire box up in the offertory procession. We’ll remind you about that at the next First Holy Communion preparation Mass next month (which will be on Palm Sunday and you can walk in the procession holding some palm, olive or other branch of greenery that day).
Where in the church?
- Where in Barryroe church is the statue of St Patrick?
- How is St Patrick dressed?
- What colours is he wearing?
- What is on his head?
- What is he holding in his hand?
Prayer of the Faithful (9 March 2025)
Priest: Priest: As we begin the season of Lent, we give thanks to God the Father for this time of grace. Let us ask him to cleanse our hearts and strengthen us in love through the Holy Spirit. Our response is: Give us Lord your Holy Spirit.
- The Word of the Lord is life; may our lives be nourished and sustained by every word spoken by him. [pause for 10 seconds] Let us pray to the Lord.
- In the life of Jesus God the Father has shown us the way of love; may he teach us to follow this way in the great and small events of life. [pause for 10 seconds] Let us pray to the Lord.
- Let us ask the Lord for a spirit of self-denial, may he move us to help our brothers and sisters in their need. [pause for 10 seconds] Let us pray to the Lord.
Wait in the sanctuary for the priest to conclude the Prayer of the Faithful:
The priest will add the final intercession for the faithful departed, mentioning names. Then he will conclude the Prayer of the Faithful….through Christ our Lord. Amen.
After this, all readers may return to their seats.
***At the same time as the readers are coming down, two people go right away to the bread and wine in order to bring them up to the priest.
