Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Fides Service) - Our Prayers for Lent so far have presented in different languages the texts of the hymns Ave Regina Caelorum and Stabat Mater and the complete Stations of the Cross as celebrated in Rome on Good Friday 2005 with meditations written by the then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. We continue with a series of reflections on the Acts of Sorrow, Faith, Hope and Charity as follows.
A general introduction on 13/14 March will be followed series of reflections on the Act of Sorrow in keeping with the penitential season of Lent: reflections on God, sin, Salvation, the Ten Commandments, the Sacrament of Confession. This will bring us to 1 April Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. A Special feature in this period, in view of the 19th March feast day of the most chaste Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, will be the text in many languages of a universally loved prayer to St Joseph.
In Holy Week Fides will offer daily reflections on the Passion of Our Lord, including the three temptations and three denials of Peter, and a comparison of them with Jesus'own temptations.
Peter is tempted three times and falls three times. How could a man of such faith who affirmed «You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God » (Matthew 16, 16) be so shaken by a few words uttered by a simple servant girl? The truth is that human nature is weak, we are all weak and Peter who experienced this weakness warns us: «adversarius verster diabolus, tanquam leo rigiens circuit quaerens quem devoret; cui resistite fortes in fide» (1 Peter 5, 8b-9a), « your enemy the devil is on the prowl like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stand up to him, strong in faith»… he warns us to be our guard… he knows our adversary!
A series of reflections, the fruit of rigorous synoptic study on the three denials of Peter showing those were three long moments of temptation and denial of Christ, will be presented by Fides News Service on Saturday 30 March and Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday 2 and 3 April. (J.M.) (Agenzia Fides 12/3/2007; righe 26, parole 368)
