First Sunday of Lent, February 21, 2021 Music reprinted for live stream broadcast under license #612145, OneLicense.net

Gathering Song: Enter the Journey Mark Friedman and Janet Vogt

Penitential Act

The Confiteor

I confess to almighty God, and to you, my brothers and sisters,

that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

(strike breast) through my fault, through my fault, through my most grievous fault;

therefore I ask blessed Mary, ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints,

and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Fr. John: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. All: Amen.

Cantor: Lord Have Mercy from Mass of St. Mary Magdalene by Sarah Hart

When he calls on me, I will answer him;

I will deliver him and give him glory,

I will grant him length of days.

Psalm 91

The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: A reading from the Book of Genesis (9:8-15 (23B))

God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “See, I am now establishing my covenant with you and your

descendants after you with every living creature that was with you: all the birds, and the various tame and wild animals

that were with you and came our of the ark. I will establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all bodily

creatures be destroyed by the waters of a flood; there shall not be another flood to devastate the earth.”

God added: “This is the sign that I am giving for all ages to come, of the covenant between me and you and every

living creature with you: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

When I bring clouds over the earth, and the bow appears in the clouds, I will recall the covenant I have made between

me and you and all living beings, so that the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all mortal beings.”

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9 Jaime Cortez

1. Your ways, O Lord, make known to me; teach me your paths.

Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior.

2. Remember that your compassion, O Lord, and your love are from of old.

In your kindness remember me, because of your goodness, O Lord.

3. Good and upright is the Lord, thus he shows sinners the way.

He guides the humble to justice, and he teaches the humble his way.

Second Reading: A reading from the first Letter of Saint Peter (1Peter 3:18-22)

Beloved: Christ suffered for sins once, the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous, that he might lead you to

God. Put to death in the flesh, he was brought to life in the Spirit. In it he also went to preach to the spirits in prison,

who had once been disobedient while God patiently waited in the days of Noah during the building of the ark, in

which a few persons, eight in all, were saved through water. This prefigured baptism, which saves you now. It is not a

removal of dirt from the body but an appeal to God for a clear conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities and powers subject to him.

The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Gospel acclamation: Matthew 4:4b from Mass of St. Mary Magdalen by Sarah Hart

One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Mark (1:12-15) Glory to you, O Lord.

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was

among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God: “This is the time of fulfillment.

The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

8:30 am: The Enrollment of Names and the Rite of Election

Catechumen Vanessa Bohr is welcomed in the Rite of Election to prepare to receive the sacraments of Baptism,

Confirmation and Eucharist this Easter. May God’s love guide and strengthen Vanessa and all the Elect into the fullness

of Christian faith and life this season.

Thank you for your generous support of St. Mary’s Church through Faith Direct

https://www.stmarysblacksburg.org/online-giving

Preparation of the Gifts: Gracious God Jesse Manibusan

The Lord will conceal you with his pinions,

and under his wing you will trust.

Psalm 91

The Liturgy of the Eucharist acclamations from the Mass of St. Mary Magdalene by Sarah Hart

Holy

Mystery of Faith

Amen

Lamb of God

A Prayer for Spiritual Communion

My Jesus, I believe that you are present

in the Most Holy Sacrament.

I love You above all things,

and I desire to receive You into my soul.

Since I cannot at this moment

receive You sacramentally,

come at least spiritually into my heart.

I embrace You as if you were already there

and I unite myself wholly to You.

Never permit me to be separated from You.

Amen

For our livestream viewers...

Communion Songs: Show Us Mercy Janet Whittaker Sullivan

Jesus Meek and Humble Ben Walther and Sarah Hart

Final Blessing

Sending Forth: Led By the Spirit Kingsfold

LENTEN SCHEDULE of EVENTS

Sacrament of Reconciliation: Fridays at 12:00 noon and Wednesdays from 6:00-7:00 pm

Stations of the Cross: Fridays at 7:00 pm

Discipleship in Action:

Renewing Hope with the Word of God and the Sacrament

1st Sunday of Lent St. Mary’s Catholic Church

Blacksburg, VA

Homily

When people apply to Catholic seminaries, monasteries, convents, religious orders, and diaconal communities, vocation directors watch for several key flags:

• Does this person have healthy relationships with family, friends, and members of the opposite gender? That’s a green flag.

• Is this person out to single-handedly “save the church” because he or she knows better than everyone else how to fix it? Red flag.

• Is this person pursuing spiritual warfare with the devil? Another red flag. Though a courageous act, seeking one-on-one battle with Satan can lead to serious neuroses.

We think Mark is the young John Mark who accompanied Paul & Barnabas in their mission to Cyprus. Paul angrily grew frustrated with John Mark’s indecisiveness and sent him home. Only 15 years later, Mark writes the 1st gospel in the late 60s, creating an entirely new genre of literature. Mark’s brilliant gospel is succinct and blunt: half as long as the other three gospels.

This short passage from Mark is amazing, rich in its cosmic vision. Immediately after His Baptism in the Jordan River, the Holy Spirit leads Jesus into the desert for 40 days of confrontation with Satan. Surrounded by wild beasts, Jesus is ministered to by angels.

Mark’s animals correspond to today’s Genesis’ account of Noah gathering all creatures into his ark for 40 days, after which Yahweh/God promises to never do that again, i.e., punish everyone and start over with humanity and creation itself.

Mark’s angels recount the guidance of the Israelites by angels during their 40 years of sojourn in the Sinai desert after escaping slavery in Egypt. Angels supported Moses during his 40 days alone with God atop Mount Sinai.

After his ferocious battle in the desert, Jesus departs and victoriously declares that “the Kingdom of God is at hand!” In his letter today, St. Peter declares that God saved Noah’s clan and animals with water and now saves us in His waters of Baptism.

In the desert, we are stripped of our idols and props, reliant on God alone.

But note how God accompanies and guides us in our struggles: with His Spirit, angels, sacraments, church, and creation itself. We are never left alone to face the Evil One in a closet. At your Baptism, your were inducted into God’s kingdom made manifest in the church.

We do not fight evil and the Evil One alone. Together with the Holy Spirit, angels, the church, and creation, we are on God’s team.

During Lent, we seek to purify ourselves of temptation and sin. We should focus our minds both internally and externally: how have we done as individual sinners … and do we truly see ourselves as vital members of His universal church, imbedded in His eternal family??

[Deacon Mike]