Psalm Gospel And Acclamation For Third Sunday of Lent, Year C
- Ngechent
- Feb 28
- 5 min read
Third Sunday of Lent Year C
Psalm, Gospel And Acclamation For Third Sunday of Lent, Year C
Responsorial Psalm – Psalms 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11.
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul;and all my being, bless his holy name.2 Bless the LORD, O my soul,and forget not all his benefits.R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
3 He pardons all your iniquities,heals all your ills,4 He redeems your life from destruction,crowns you with kindness and compassion.R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
6 The LORD secures justiceand the rights of all the oppressed.7 He has made known his ways to Moses,and his deeds to the children of Israel.R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
8 Merciful and gracious is the LORD,slow to anger and abounding in kindness.11 For as the heavens are high above the earth,so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Verse Before The Gospel – Matthew 4:17
17 Repent, says the Lord;the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
Gospel For Third Sunday of Lent Year C– Luke 13:1-9
1 Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices.
2 Jesus said to them in reply, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were greater sinners than all other Galileans?
3 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!Gospel And Acclamation For Th
4 Or those eighteen people who were killed when the tower at Siloam fell on them – do you think they were more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?
5 By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!”
6 And he told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none,
7 he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’
8 He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;
9 it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”
A Prayer for Repentance and Renewal
Heavenly Father,
In the stillness of this moment, we come before You with humble hearts. We reflect on the words of Your Son, Jesus, who reminds us of the fragility of life and the urgency of repentance. Lord, we recognize that suffering and tragedy are not signs of greater sin, but rather invitations to turn back to You.
As we ponder the fate of the Galileans and those lost when the tower fell, we ask:
Help us to see our own lives clearly. May we not judge others, but instead examine our own hearts for areas in need of Your grace.
Grant us the courage to repent. Let us not be complacent in our sins, but seek Your forgiveness and strive for transformation.
Nurture us like the fig tree in the parable. May we be cultivated and fertilized by Your love, so that we may bear fruit in our lives.
Lord, we are grateful for Your patience and mercy. You tend to us with care, desiring that we thrive and grow in faith. As we journey through this Lenten season, may we be open to Your guidance, willing to change and bear witness to Your goodness.
Conclusion:
We commit ourselves to this path of renewal, trusting in Your unfailing love. May our lives reflect the fruit of Your Spirit, and may we be instruments of Your peace in a world that longs for hope. Amen.
A Story Inspired by the Psalm, Gospel, and Acclamation for the Third Sunday of Lent (Year C)
https://nwufortherese.education/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/A-Story-Inspired-by-the-Psalm-Gospel-and-Acclamation-for-the-Third-Sunday-of-Lent-Year-C.mp3
In a quiet village nestled between rolling hills and a vast desert, there lived a farmer named Elias. He was a man of simple faith, working the land his family had tended for generations. But lately, his heart had grown heavy. The rains had been sparse, the soil dry, and his once-thriving vineyard now seemed barren. Each day he would walk through the rows of withered vines, his hands brushing against the brittle branches, and wonder if God had abandoned him.One evening, Elias sat by the fire, reading from the Psalms. His eyes fell upon the words, “The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). He closed his eyes and whispered, “Lord, if You are merciful, why has my vineyard withered? Why do You seem so far away?” Yet, deep in his heart, he felt a flicker of hope, a reminder that God’s ways were not always his to understand.The next morning, Elias went to the village synagogue, where the rabbi read from the Gospel of Luke. The story was of a fig tree planted in a vineyard, which for three years had borne no fruit. The owner of the vineyard wanted to cut it down, but the gardener pleaded, “Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down” (Luke 13:8-9). Elias listened intently, his heart stirring. He saw himself in that barren fig tree, and yet, he also saw the mercy of the gardener, willing to give it another chance.After the service, Elias lingered, speaking with the rabbi. “Rabbi,” he asked, “why does God allow us to struggle? Why does He not simply make all things right?” The rabbi smiled gently and said, “Elias, God is patient with us, just as the gardener was patient with the fig tree. He gives us time to grow, to repent, and to bear fruit. But we must also do our part—nurture the soil, water the roots, and trust in His timing.”Elias returned home, the rabbi’s words echoing in his mind. That afternoon, he walked through his vineyard, but this time, instead of despairing, he knelt in the dry soil and began to work. He dug around the vines, loosening the earth, and spread what little compost he had. Day after day, he labored, pouring his heart into the work, all the while praying, “Lord, help me to bear fruit. Teach me to trust in Your mercy.”Weeks turned into months, and as spring arrived, Elias began to notice tiny green buds on the vines. His heart leapt with joy, for he saw in those buds a sign of hope, a reflection of God’s steadfast love. He remembered the Psalm he had read: “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His benefits—who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit” (Psalm 103:2-4). Indeed, God had not abandoned him; He had been with him all along, waiting for Elias to trust and act.By the end of the season, Elias’s vineyard was alive again, its branches heavy with fruit. But more than the vineyard, Elias himself had been renewed. He had learned to see God’s mercy not as a quick fix, but as a patient, enduring love that called him to deeper faith and action.On the next Sabbath, as the congregation sang the Acclamation—”Repent, says the Lord; the kingdom of heaven is at hand”—Elias joined his voice with theirs, his heart full of gratitude. He knew now that repentance was not just about turning away from sin, but about turning toward the God who is always ready to nurture, forgive, and restore.
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