2024 Lenten Meditations

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Table of Contents
Fr. Joseph’s Letter Page 3

Ash Wednesday Page 4

First Sunday of Lent Page 5

Second Sunday of Lent Page 6

Third Sunday of Lent Page 7

Fourth Sunday of Lent Page 8

Fifth Sunday of Lent Page 9

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion Page 10

Easter Sunday Page 11

Dates in Lent and Easter Triduum 2024 Page 12

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Dear Family,
I enjoy the friendship I have with the family of one of our long-time co-workers
here at EWTN. Over the years I have watched the children in their large family
grow up into responsible young men and women. On one occasion, I joined
them for dinner on a Friday in Lent. The older children prepared the simple
meal of cheese sandwiches and tomato soup, while the younger children set the
table. This was their family tradition, and the small sacrifice they did together
inculcated the virtue of temperance in them all. Doing it together helped them
to better remember the spirit of this Holy Season of Lent and to persevere.

Growing in virtue, in this case temperance, enables one to be free, liberated

from the sometimes domineering call of the passions. Temperance steers our
passions to what is good and frees us to better love God and others – and
ourselves – since unbounded indulgence is detrimental to our own good.

During this holy time, when we focus on our friendship with God, we will look
at some practical examples for growing in virtue so that we can overcome sin
and all that hinders our heart’s ability to love.

Please join me – and may God bless and transform our hearts.

In Christ,

Fr. Joseph Mary Wolfe, MFVA

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Ash Wednesday
Today’s Readings
First Reading: Joel 2:12-18
Psalm: 51:3-4, 5-6ab, 12-13, 14 and 17
Second Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:20–6:2
Gospel: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-18

We find in the lives of the saints, like St. Francis of Assisi, that their wholehearted “return
to the Lord” was characterized by the three practices the Lord puts before us in today’s
Gospel: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. St. Francis would seek out a mountain top or a
cave where he could be alone with God in prayer. In fact, one time he told a companion
that he had to go into a nearby cave to find a treasure – and, his biographer tells us, that
treasure was union with God in prayer. Francis also certainly fasted from food, as well as
from many other things that he saw could sidetrack him from “the one thing necessary”
(Luke 10:42). Finally, he gave his fine garments to the poor and took care of those who
suffered with leprosy.

These three practices led Francis – and lead us – to:

• Union with God (prayer)
• Greater interior peace and unity within ourselves (fasting)
• Union with others (almsgiving)

Today, on this day on which we seek to return to the Lord with all of our hearts, we
fast. In doing so, we acknowledge our need for repentance – and when we sincerely do
this, we experience the “treasure” that St. Francis found: a deeper union with God, with
others, and even within ourselves.

May God bless us and transform our hearts.

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Sunday, February 18, 2024

First Sunday of Lent
Today’s Readings
First Reading: Genesis 9:8-15
Psalm: 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
Second Reading: 1 Peter 3:18-22
Gospel: Mark 1:12-15

Fr. Benedict Groeschel, CFR, said to me one time that people in the Alcoholics Anonymous
groups are “experts in temptation,” and, being such, they do not have slogans such as
“Don’t do it” or “Stop giving in to temptation.” Rather, they have slogans such as “Let go
and let God” and “One day at a time.” They understand the truth that without the grace
of God we can do nothing. Rather, it is in surrendering ourselves and our temptations
to Christ – turning to Him in prayer every day – that we are assured of finding the way
to freedom.

Jesus, I run to You and cling to You in this temptation, for You were always victorious over
the evil one and will enable me to do the same.

The Gospel today tells us that “the angels ministered to [Jesus].” Do you ever forget that
an angel ministers to you – that an angel has been sent by God to assist you to Heaven?
And although your road is strewn with temptations of various sorts, your Guardian
Angel is your best friend to help you to take a step higher in virtue, helping you to reject
sin and to choose anew faithfulness to God.

O Guardian Angel, ever-faithful to God and always faithful to me, minister to me, I pray,
when Satan or his minions seek to lead me away from God. Help me to practice virtue when
experiencing the temptation that I find most difficult to overcome. Lead me, good angel, to
Heaven. Amen.

May God bless us and transform our hearts.

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Sunday, February 25, 2024

Second Sunday of Lent
Today’s Readings
First Reading: Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
Psalm: 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
Second Reading: Romans 8:31b-34
Gospel: Mark 9:2-10

Last year, one of our coworkers here at EWTN succumbed to the cancer he had fought for
several years. One of the last things John said to me was: “Death has lost all of its sting.” He
was not afraid to die because of his strong faith in God and in His Son, Jesus. St. Paul, in
today’s Second Reading from his Letter to the Romans, wrote: “If God is for us, who can be
against us?” Continuing, Paul then speaks of Jesus dying for us – Jesus who is now raised,
is at the right hand of God, and “who indeed intercedes for us.”

Yes, dear friends, the Season of Lent is given to the Church to help us prepare for the
celebration of Easter. For the three apostles, the Transfiguration of Jesus was a foretaste of
His glorious Resurrection, but it was also a foreshadowing of the glory that will be ours in
Jesus Christ in the resurrection of the dead.

Does fear sometimes rule over you, perhaps leading you to, at times, find unhealthy
consolations – even in sinful things? St. John, one of the apostles present at Our Lord’s
Transfiguration, wrote: “Perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18). When you sense fear
rising up within you, choose to love: to love God in prayer, to love others in some act of
mercy, to love yourself by choosing to be grateful, acknowledging the many signs of God’s
love for you.

May God bless us and transform our hearts.

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Sunday, March 3, 2024

Third Sunday of Lent
Today’s Readings
First Reading: Exodus 20:1-17
Psalm: 19:8, 9, 10, 11
Second Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:22-25
Gospel: John 2:13-25

When the Child Jesus with the voice of a young boy said to Mother Angelica, “Build me
a Temple and I will help those who help you,” she didn’t at first completely understand,
but later she wrote, “To me, this Temple is a miracle. The miracle is not so much that the
Temple was built, but how it was built. From the very start, it was the Lord’s own doing – He
designed it. He built it, and He paid for it. God’s Providence is so awesome” (Come and See,
page 8). Yes, “the Temple” has become a wonderful place where many people encounter
God.

Jesus, in today’s Gospel, referred to the Jewish Temple as “my Father’s house,” which
hearkens back to His words in the Temple many years before as a boy: “Why were you
looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49).

One of the penitential practices we can offer during the Season of Lent is to make a pilgrimage
to a holy site, especially those associated with the events we are recalling these 40 days
and Holy Week, such as the Passion of Our Lord and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist.
Perhaps, somewhere in your area, there are large outdoor Stations of the Cross, a church
with the Sorrowful Mother, etc. Let your devotion lead you to make a little pilgrimage for
the love of Jesus who suffered and died for love of you. Go to your “Father’s house” where
you will encounter Him in a new and rich way.

May God bless us and transform our hearts.

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Fourth Sunday of Lent
Today’s Readings
First Reading: 2 Chronicles 36:14-16, 19-23
Psalm: 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
Second Reading: Ephesians 2:4-10
Gospel: John 3:14-21

One of my favorite conversion stories is that of Hermann Cohen, who was a child prodigy on
the piano. Mentored by the famous pianist Franz Liszt, he gained fame and success that led
him to a life where every whim was indulged. Then, at the age of 26, he was asked to fill in
directing the choir for Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at a Catholic church.

He wrote: “… my soul, deafened and distracted by the discord of the world, re-found itself,
a bit like a prodigal son coming to his senses. … I was struck with the sudden thought of
becoming a Catholic” (Honey from the Rock, Roy Schoeman, page 39).

After that experience, Hermann was eventually baptized, became a Carmelite priest, and
traveled to many countries where he founded monasteries.

Hermann was surprised to encounter the sheer goodness of God for which he longed.
Today’s First Reading relates the surprise return of the exiled Jews to their homeland when
the emperor Cyrus let them return. St. Paul in the Second Reading spoke of the riches of
God’s mercy and His grace. And in the Gospel, we heard: “God so loved the world that he
gave his only Son” Why? “… that the world might be saved through him.”

Let us never, dear friends, stop being surprised by the goodness of God. On this Laetare
Sunday, rejoice! Count some of the surprising ways that God has brought hope and joy into
your life. And if you have a hard time seeing that, ask God to show you “the immeasurable
riches of his grace.” He will.

May God bless us and transform our hearts.

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Fifth Sunday of Lent
Today’s Readings
First Reading: Jeremiah 31:31-34
Psalm: 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15
Second Reading: Hebrews 5:7-9
Gospel: John 12:20-33

Sr. Genevieve of the Holy Face, the older sister of St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy
Face, painted an image of the Holy Face of Jesus based on photographs taken of the Shroud
of Turin. The astonishing fact of a remarkably clear image of the Face of Jesus on the Shroud
had recently been discovered by the Italian photographer, Secundo Pia.

The Carmelites produced a holy card with Sr. Genevieve’s painting and this prayer of St.
Thérèse on the back: “O Jesus, your Face is the only beauty that delights my heart.” As we
continue to make this Lenten journey together, let’s make this prayer of St. Thérèse our own.

In today’s Gospel, some Greeks came to Philip with the request: “Sir, we would like to see
Jesus.”
How can we see Jesus?
How can we get a glimpse of the beauty of His Face that St. Thérèse perceived?

Here are some ideas:

1. Obtain a picture of the Holy Face to prayerfully gaze upon for some time. (I especially
like Sr. Genevieve’s painting.)
2. When you attend Mass, meditate on it being the Sacrifice of the Mass, the re-presentation
of the Sacrifice of Calvary. Picture yourself there with Mary and John.
3. Pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Rosary, joining Our Lady in contemplating His Face
in each mystery.
4. Pray the Stations of the Cross and, like St. Francis, consider the love on the Face of Jesus
who willingly endured His Passion for love of you.

May God bless us and transform our hearts.

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Sunday, March 24, 2024

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
Today’s Readings
At the Procession with Palms: Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16
First Reading: Isaiah 50:4-7
Psalm: 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
Second Reading: Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel: Mark 14:1–15:47

In his autobiography Before the Dawn, Rabbi Israel Zolli relates his conversion to the Catholic
faith. When he was twelve years old, he visited the home of his Catholic friend, Stanislaus,
where he noticed on one of the walls a plain wooden crucifix. He wrote: “It seemed that in
that white room, and in the presence of the crucifix, one could not help being serene, gentle,
and good. Sometimes – I did not know why – I would raise my eyes to that crucifix and gaze
for a long time at the figure hanging there. … The crucified one, moreover, awakened in me
a sense of great compassion. I had the same strong impression of His innocence as of His
pain” (Honey from the Rock, Roy Schoeman, pages 74-75).

Let us gaze for a long time upon the Crucified One as we journey with Him through Holy
Week. Something within us will change, too, as it did for Rabbi Zolli, who eventually became
the Chief Rabbi of Rome. Although it cost him a great deal to follow Christ, the Crucified
One called him to something much greater than the crosses he would endure. Zolli wrote:
“Christianity represented for me the object of a longing for a love which should temper my
soul’s winter, an incomparable beauty which should quench my desire for beauty” (ibid,
page 80).

Can you see Jesus, hanging upon the Cross, looking upon you, only you?
Do you see His loving glance that says, “See how much I love you”?
Love is repaid by love alone. He wants your heart.

May God bless us and transform our hearts.

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Easter Sunday
Today’s Readings
First Reading: Acts 10:34a, 37-43
Psalm: 118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
Second Reading: Colossians 3:1-4 or 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8
Gospel: John 20:1-9

One of the beautiful Sequences we hear sung during the liturgical year is heard on Easter
Sunday (and occasionally on other days during the Octave of Easter): Victimae Paschali
Laudes. This chant has been sung on Easter Sunday for almost a thousand years and
poetically relates the significance of the Resurrection of Jesus:

Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:

The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal. …
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning! Amen. Alleluia!

Have you met the Risen Lord Jesus?

He is standing at the door of your heart … and is now knocking.
Be still. Quiet yourself within. Listen to your heart.
“If any one hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and
he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne. …” (Revelation
3:20-21).

Jesus, I have stilled my soul like a child on its mother’s lap (Psalm 131:2), and I hear Your “still,
small voice” within. With joyful astonishment at Your love, so revealed to me during this holy
time, I open wide the door of my heart. Jesus, Risen Savior, and Beloved of my soul, I desire
what You desire, that we be one. Amen.

Christians, to the Paschal Victim

Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen. Amen. Alleluia. (Sequence)

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

Dates in Lent and

Easter Triduum 2024
Ash Wednesday
February 14

First Sunday of Lent

February 18

Second Sunday of Lent

February 25

Third Sunday of Lent

March 3

Fourth Sunday of Lent

March 10

Fifth Sunday of Lent

March 17

St. Joseph’s Feast Day

March 19

Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion

March 24

Holy Thursday
March 28

Good Friday
March 29

Holy Saturday
March 30

Easter Sunday
March 31

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 2024 Lenten Meditations

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