The Collect for today's Mass:
Prompt our actions with your inspiration, we pray, O Lord,
and further them with your constant help,
that all we do may always begin from you
and by you be brought to completion.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
This prayer reminds us that our good actions during Lent ultimately are the work of the Spirit within us. The Holy Spirit has prompted us to take on certain penances and other charitable actions, and without His continuing help and guidance, these good resolutions will come to nothing.
In many ways, this is a prayer of humility. We know that without God we can do nothing, and so in our weakness we cry out for His inspiration and help to continue fighting against evil in our life, even when the battle becomes tedious and wearisome.
