Dear Parishioners:
Lent has begun! We have been marked with the ashen cross and we now take up these forty days of prayer, fasting and alms giving. St. Benedict reminds us: “Renounce yourself in order to follow Christ; discipline your body; do not pamper yourself but love fasting.” Lent is a time for us to sacrifice and do penance. Often people give up some pleasure they enjoy like candy, dessert, alcohol, tobacco or these days technology (phone, computer, ipads)! It is a worthy practice and can help us focus more on our relationship with Christ. What did you give up for Lent?
The Venerable Archbishop Fulton Sheen once remarked about this practice. He said: “Lenten practice of giving up pleasures are good reminders that the purpose of life is not pleasure. the purpose of life is to attain to perfect life, all truth, and undying ecstatic love which is the definition of God, in pursuing that goal we find happiness.”
Also part of our Lenten practice is taking on more prayer and devotion in our daily lives. We are blessed to have a parish with two priests and therefore we are able to schedule two daily Masses in Lent. We also have daily Confession and every Monday in Lent we invite a guest Confessor to join us. We also have Stations of the Cross every Friday at 7:00PM.
From the earliest of days, followers of Jesus told the story of his Passion, Death and Resurrection. When pilgrims came to see Jerusalem, they were anxious to see the sites where Jesus had walked, taught, performed miracles as well as the holy sites of his Passion, Death and Resurrection. Eventually, following in the footsteps of the Lord, along the way of the cross, became a part of the pilgrimage visit. The stations, as we know them today, came about when it was no longer easy or even possible to visit the holy sites. In the 1500's, villages all over Europe started creating "replicas" of the way of the cross, with small shrines commemorating the places on the way to Calvary. Eventually, these shrines became the set of 14 stations we know today and were placed in every Catholic Church in the world.
We pray the Stations of the Cross as a powerful way to contemplate, and enter into, the mystery of Jesus' sacrifice for us and our sins upon the cross at Calvary. “Apart from the cross, there is no other ladder by which we may get to heaven,” said St. Rose of Lima. So please join us on Fridays for Stations as we walk with the Lord to Calvary.
We are truly blessed to have a Church that is open all day for prayer and devotion. So stop by during the day to spend time in prayer with the Lord truly present in the tabernacle. Perhaps make the Stations of the Cross privately. Such quiet time in prayer and reflection is part of our Lenten discipline.
This weekend we welcome Fr. Thomas Macdonald to OLM. Father is the Vice-Rector at St. John Seminary in Brighton, MA where Fr. Connors now teaches. He is a terrific young priest and an outstanding preacher. Father is here to lead our Annual Parish Lenten Mission and is preaching to us about “Taking Up the Battle of Lent: Persevering with Christ in the Desert.” Fr. Macdonald is preaching at all Masses this weekend and is preaching a Mission Talk on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights at 7:00PM. Each night of the Mission four priests are available for Confessions beginning at 6:00PM. So put the Mission in your calendar and add it to your schedule. Join us as we take up the “Battle of Lent”!
A Lenten Mission is a time to take a spiritual retreat from the normal routine of daily life. We spend time together in prayer as Father Macdonald leads us in reflection and renewal. It is a time of special grace for our parish and I hope you make every effort to come to the Mission this week. How is your “Battle of Lent” going? Let us persevere in our prayer, fasting and alms giving for these forty days. May this Season of Lent truly be a time to convert our lives more fully to Christ. St. Teresa of Calcutta teaches: “As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus’ thirst. He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you.”
See you at the Mission! Pray, fast and give alms! Remember that Fridays are for fish and Stations of the Cross! Be well. Do Good! God Bless.