BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD.

PSALM 46:10

Wellspring is a Catholic spirituality center that offers spiritual growth opportunities such as classes and retreats and promotes contemplative spirituality. The center is owned and operated by The Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales and operates on a basic vision that all of God’s people are called to holiness and that it is possible for all to live a contemplative life style while being active in ministry.

RETREATS

RETREATS AT

WELLSPRING

Retreat in Preparation

for Holy Week

Saturday, March 27, 2021

9:30 am - 12:30 pm

Fr. Gus Tharappel will guide the retreat. There is limited seating due to COVID. Please email us at retreatsatwellspring@gmail.com to reserve a spot. All participants are asked to wear a mask and social distance at the retreat.

OUR MASSES

MASSES AT

WELLSPRING

Due to COVID-19,

there is limited seating

at our Sunday Masses.

Please call 903-839-1280 or

email us at

for information about our Masses.

Daily Masses

Monday - Friday

6:45 am

The Mother of Compassion Shrine
remains open daily for

prayer and reflection.

news

CLASSES AT

WELLSPRING

All classes at Wellspring
are postponed

at this time

due to COVID-19.

2021 REFLECTION THEME AND WELLSPRING PRAYER

We reflected on “stillness” as our theme in 2020. Our theme for reflection in 2021 is the virtue of “gratefulness.” This year, we want to strive to learn to “be grateful.” We want to let “gratefulness” become our way of being, living and acting.

While there may be many things wrong in our world, many people unfaithful to their commitments, many projects incomplete and imperfect, there definitely are many things right with our world, many people doing the best they can, many projects contributing to the growth and stability of our communities. We often take for granted things that work properly most of the time and people who live decent and virtuous lives. It is easy to take things for granted, especially some things like our jobs, families or friends. It’s easy to forget how blessed we are for just about everything in our lives. That is why it is good and important to count our blessings, be thankful and show gratitude.

third sunday of lent

REFLECTIONS FOR PRAYER AND WORSHIP

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Our first Scripture reading today, the third Sunday of Lent, invites us to meditate on God’s commands. The demands of God’s law are spelled out for the Israelites then and for us now. Many consider these as ten suggestions while others consider them as moral absolutes. There are still others who consider them as of no particular value in modern society. We are invited to see the Ten Commandments as God’s gracious gifts of guidance for our lives, which came from His heart. They teach us how to live with a deep reverence for self, for others, for the world, and above all for God of love. Let us embrace these words of wisdom and allow them to guide our lives.

Our responsorial psalm sings the praises of God’s law. The psalmist says, “The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul; the decree of the Lord is trustworthy, giving wisdom to the simple.” The psalmist sings about the law of God as being perfect for man, reviving the soul of man, refreshing his spirit and redeeming the world. Our responsorial psalm today carries only four verses of the fifteen verses of Psalm 19. I encourage you to turn to your bible and pray the whole psalm and meditate on it for some time.

In the second reading, St. Paul speaks of being moved by the wisdom of God which was contrary to Jewish expectations and defied the logic of the Greeks. Paul’s message did not fit into the wisdom of the world at the time. Wisdom was thought of as a quality that could be achieved through intellectual and philosophical pursuits. Paul spoke of wisdom as God’s gracious gift and the fullness of that gift was revealed on the cross.

The Gospel of today invites us to meet Jesus as he cleanses the temple, moved by zeal for his Father’s house. Jesus then challenged the Jews to destroy the temple and proclaimed that he would build it up in three days! Jesus proclaimed a unique and intimate relationship with the Father. He compared the temple to the temple of his body. He said that he would destroy the temple and it would be rebuilt in three days. The temple was the meeting place, the place of encounter with God and God’s word. Now Jesus himself becomes the place for meeting God and hearing God’s word because he is God and God’s word.

The first reading offers us the commandments as coming from the heart of God. The psalmist offers us the whole creation as proclaiming the word of God without speech or word. St. Paul offers us the cross as the wisdom of God, and Jesus offers himself as the word of God. Let us take a few minutes each day of this week to reflect on the word of God that comes to us through the scriptures, through people we meet, and through God’s creation that surrounds us.

God bless you and your family.

Fr. Gus Tharappel, msfs

SUNDAY REFLECTIONS

Weekday Reflections