Issuu

for Lent 2027

SACRED SPACE from the website www.sacredspace.ie

Prayer from the Irish Jesuits

Please note: Some Scripture readings and feast day observances in this devotional may differ from the Liturgical Calendar for the Dioceses of the United States. Where applicable, Scripture passages and liturgical commemorations are drawn from the General Roman Calendar or the Liturgical Calendar for Ireland, in keeping with the devotional’s Jesuit, international Catholic heritage.

© 2026 Loyola Press All rights reserved. This edition of Sacred Space for Lent 2027 is published by arrangement with Messenger Publications, 37 Lower Leeson Street, Dublin D02 W938, Ireland. Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version: Updated Edition, copyright © 2021 by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Some Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. Loyola Press in Chicago thanks the Irish Jesuits and Messenger Press for preparing this book for publication. Cover art credit: Pobytov/DigitalVision Vectors/Getty Images ISBN: 978-0-8294-6091-9 Published in Chicago, IL Printed in the United States of America 26 27 28 29 30 Versa 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Contents Sacred Space Prayer

10–13 February 2027

First Week of Lent

Second Week of Lent

Third Week of Lent

Fourth Week of Lent

Fifth Week of Lent

Holy Week

Suscipe

119

Prayer to Know God’s Will

120

Sacred Space Prayer Bless all who worship you, almighty God, from the rising of the sun to its setting; from your goodness enrich us, by your love inspire us, by your Spirit guide us, by your power protect us, in your mercy receive us, now and always.

10–13 February 2027 Something to think and pray about each day this week Recently a man said sadly to me, ‘I’m a collapsed Catholic: my faith has meant nothing to me for years, and I’ve no hope for life after death.’ We got talking about what’s the heart of Christian faith; I suggested that God has a hope for us all, and that it can be summed up in one phrase from the liturgy: ‘Make us grow in love!’ Is God’s hope nothing more or less than that, despite the chaos of our times, we’ll all share finally and happily in the joy of God? In St John’s Gospel, we read that Jesus gives us the power ‘to become the sons and daughters of God’ (Jn 1:12). The pages of the New Testament are rustling with the secret that this radical development is already taking place among us. There’s a lot more to us than being born, living and dying. That’s only the introduction to the main story! Think of the Roman centurion on Calvary who pierced Jesus’ side (Mk 15:39). Something struck him about Jesus that made him say this was a good man. Was it this centurion who was later told to guard the tomb? When he was told the tomb was empty and heard rumours that Jesus was alive in a totally new way, did he make the connection—that 1

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the self-giving love that Jesus had shown to everyone had been rewarded by God with eternal life? Did he get in touch with Jesus’ disciples and discover that they were trying to live as Jesus had done? That Jesus was gloriously free and still with his earthly companions, encouraging them to keep going? —Brian Grogan SJ, the Sacred Heart Messenger, September 2025

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The Presence of God Dear Lord, as I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your presence. Help me remain receptive to you as I put aside the cares of this world. Fill my mind with your peace. Freedom Lord, grant me the grace to be free from the excesses of this life. Let me not get caught up with the desire for wealth. Keep my heart and mind free to love and serve you. Consciousness I exist in a web of relationships: links to nature, people, God. I trace out these links, giving thanks for the life that flows through them. Some links are twisted or broken; I may feel regret, anger, disappointment. I pray for the gift of acceptance and forgiveness. The Word God speaks to each of us individually. I listen attentively to hear what he is saying to me. Read the text a few times, then listen. (Please turn to the scripture on

the following pages. Inspiration points are there, should you need them. When you are ready, return here to continue.)

Conversation Jesus, you speak to me through the words of the Gospels. May I respond to your call today. Teach me to recognise your hand at work in my daily living.

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Conclusion I thank God for these moments we have spent together and for any insights I have been given concerning the text.

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Wednesday 10 February Ash Wednesday Matthew 6:1–6, 16–18 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Beware of practising your righteousness before others in order to be seen by them, for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ‘So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your alms may be done in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ‘And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. . . . ‘And whenever you fast, do not look sombre, like the hypocrites, for they mark their faces to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. But when you fast, put oil on

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your head and wash your face, so that your fasting may be seen not by others but by your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.’ • Today’s gospel has a strong message for our modern world in which appearances count for everything. The prevalence of social media has conditioned us to constantly think about how we can present the best version of ourselves to the world in exchange for the dopamine rush of ‘likes’. Jesus models a different way, encouraging a more authentic way of living where we do the right thing because it is right and not for visibility or praise. • As we embark on our Lenten journey, our focus should be on an inner conversion that fosters a more intimate relationship with God and an increased awareness of the needs around us.

Thursday 11 February Luke 9:22–25 Jesus said to his disciples, ‘The Son of Man must undergo great suffering and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.’ Then he said to them all, ‘If any wish to come after me, let them deny themselves and take up their cross

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daily and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. For what does it profit them if they gain the whole world but lose or forfeit themselves?’ • Jesus does not hide the cost of following him. After revealing that he must be rejected, suffer, die and rise again, he tells his disciples that they too must take up their cross each day. This is not a call to seek suffering but rather to put God’s will before personal comfort, ambition, or security. The world teaches us to hold tightly to our own interests, yet Jesus shows that true life is found in self-giving love and faithful discipleship. His words challenge us to trust that even through sacrifice and hardship, God’s way leads ultimately to resurrection and life. Not only that, but his followers must prepare for a similar fate: they will also have a heavy cross to bear. It’s a disturbing vision of discipleship. • Jesus teaches that we must be prepared to ‘take up our cross’ and follow him. Am I willing to be selfless and to lead a life of service, as he did? Can I risk my reputation by standing up for someone who is mistreated? Can I show kindness always, even when it is challenging?

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Friday 12 February Matthew 9:14–15 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, ‘Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?’ And Jesus said to them, ‘The wedding attendants cannot mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them, can they? The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.’

• Today’s passage is part of a series of interactions between Jesus and various groups who question and challenge him: the teachers of the law accuse him of blaspheming, the Pharisees question the company he keeps (tax collectors and sinners), and now John the Baptist’s disciples take issue with Jesus’ disciples over their lack of fasting. There is growing fear and confusion about Jesus, but with each challenge he is happy to engage with the questions. • Jesus’ response to the fasting question is clear: his disciples do not need to fast or mourn because he is with them. The Messiah whom they have awaited is here, and the gift of his presence brings joy. There is a time for everything, but whether feasting or fasting, our hearts should be centred on Christ.

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Saturday 13 February Luke 5:27–32 After this Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax-collection station, and he said to him, ‘Follow me.’ And he got up, left everything, and followed him. Then Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house, and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others reclining at the table with them. The Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to his disciples, saying, ‘Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?’ Jesus answered them, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician but those who are sick; I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.’

• One of the central themes in Luke is what is known as ‘the great reversal’—a thread that runs through the Gospel of the world being turned upside down or on its head. The calling of Levi, the tax collector, is an example of this. The very idea of Jesus socialising with and befriending a member of one of the most despised groups in society would have been shocking, a reversal of the proper order. • Jesus reminds the complainers that his mission is to those on the margins, people who are hated and shunned and therefore vulnerable. We note

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that Levi’s response to Jesus is swift and generous, throwing a banquet for Jesus and drawing others in. As we continue our Lenten journey, we might ask ourselves what individuals or groups in our own communities are despised or marginalised. What is Jesus calling us to do?

First Week of Lent

14–20 February 2027 Something to think and pray about each day this week By the end of the first week of Lent, we had persuaded my father to go back on cigarettes. The mood he was in was too much for us. Everything was wrong for him, and we joked that Lent is about giving up, not giving out. We breathed a sigh of relief when he went back on them and went to Mass instead! In a certain sense, however, Lent is about giving out. What we give up, we give out to a wider world. If we give up sweets or alcohol, we can give out the money we save to others. If we give up complaining about the family and our aches and pains, then life is simpler for others. Good Lenten practice should benefit the lives of others. Lent is about allowing God into our lives, and then giving the God inside us out to others. Lent reminds us that the Christian life is a journey. The journey is communal. We travel with our Christian community and with the community of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who live within us and within the Church. It is reflective. We think over

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what our Christian calling means in our lives. Like any journey, it has its ups and downs, and in those ups and downs we are united with Christ. —Donal Neary SJ, the Sacred Heart Messenger, February 2026

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The Presence of God Dear Jesus, I come to you today longing for your presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. Freedom Lord, grant me the grace to have freedom of the spirit. Cleanse my heart and soul so that I may live joyously in your love. Consciousness Where am I with God? With others? Do I have something to be grateful for? Then I give thanks. Is there something I am sorry for? Then I ask forgiveness. The Word The Word of God comes down to us through the Scriptures. May the Holy Spirit enlighten my mind and my heart to respond to the gospel teachings.

(Please turn to the scripture on the following pages. Inspiration points are there, should you need them. When you are ready, return here to continue.)

Conversation How has God’s Word moved me? Has it left me cold? Has it consoled me or moved me to act in a new way? I imagine Jesus standing or sitting beside me; I turn and share my feelings with him.

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Conclusion I thank God for these moments we have spent together and for any insights I have been given concerning the text.