Remain in His Grace and Mercy
V. When we were dead through sin, God brought us to life again in Christ,
A. because he loved us with so great a love.
V. In him is the fountain of life;
A. We drink from the streams of his goodness.
OPENING PRAYER
Lord God, who has desired that the pierced Heart of your Son be a fountain of mercy and grace for us, we ask you to teach us to abide in him, for his Heart is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. “It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.” (Dilexit nos, no. 32)
GOSPEL (Jn 3:3-7)
Jesus answered and said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” Jesus answered, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit. Do not be amazed that I told you, ‘You must be born from above.’
REFLECTION
The messianic prophecies gradually coalesced around the imagery of purifying water: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean… a new spirit I will put within you” (Ez 36:25-26). This water would bestow on God’s people the fullness of life, like a fountain flowing from the Temple and bringing a wealth of life and salvation in its wake. “I saw on the bank of the river a great many trees on the one side and on the other… and wherever that river goes, every living creature will live… and when that river enters the sea, its waters will become fresh; everything will live where the river goes” (Ez 47:7, 9)”. (Dilexit nos, no. 93)
FINAL PRAYER
Heart of Jesus, give us the grace to recognize our sins and convert from the heart, so that we may have recourse to your sacraments which are the source of the grace and mercy that come to us through you, from the merciful heart of the Father.
Mercy of the Heart of Christ
Forgive my heart
