Dear Parishioners:
Saint Pope John Paul II said: "Lent is a time of truth. Christians, called by the Church to prayer, penance, fasting, and self-sacrifice, place themselves before God and recognize themselves, and they rediscover themselves." How is your Lent going as we enter the Fourth Week of Lent? How are the prayer, penance, fasting, and self-sacrifice going? Have you slipped from your Lenten resolution to fast from something or make more time for prayer? Have you made a good Sacramental Confession of your sins? People often ask me what to do if they break their Lenten resolution. Do they have to find some new resolution? Should they give up and try next Lent? First, don't worry. We are supposed to fail in Lent.
During his 40-day fast, Jesus had many temptations and travails, which he overcame. But we are made of lesser stuff. We are weaker and often fail. We lose heart. We fall. We eat what we told ourselves we would give up. We lose our patience. We are supposed to fail in Lent.
St. Francis of Assisi once went to an island for a 40-day Lenten fast, leaving Ash Wednesday morning and returning Holy Thursday morning. He intended to not eat or drink for forty days in imitation of Christ. But the saintly Francis only made it 39 days! He stopped one day short out of reverence for Christ. This great saint shows us that the point of the 40 days is not to make it but to fail.
Lent shows us that we are weak. It reminds us how human and accustomed we are to our comforts. Therefore, by breaking our resolutions, we prove this. Thus, we go to Jesus because he alone has the divine power and strength to save and forgive us for our weaknesses and failures.
Through our Lenten good works and resolutions, we greatly appreciate what Jesus has done for us. We begin to understand what he continues to do to enlighten, strengthen, and free us from the darkness of sin and ignorance. There are two more weeks of Lent, so don’t give up. Don't feel like you're an epic failure if you don't make it through Lent with your promises and resolutions. Take them back up when you break them. Don't quit! Persevere! Because if you fail, you've achieved Lent's ultimate purpose: realizing that we are weak and need Jesus Christ all the more in our lives!
We can only persevere in our Lenten resolutions if Christ is in our lives. I have met people who boast of their Lenten resolutions yet have not attended Sunday Mass in years. This makes no sense and defeats the purpose of Lent. If we don't seek Christ at Mass, where he feeds, nourishes, and strengthens us, then what good is a Lenten resolution like not drinking alcohol or not eating sweets. It’s an act of pride rather than a true Lenten penance.
Lenten resolutions are empty if they don’t strengthen our relationship with Jesus. There is no more intimate encounter with Jesus Christ than worthily receiving Him in Holy Communion at Mass. Our encounter with Christ is also strengthened when we humbly confess our sins in the Sacrament of Confession. He knows our sins already. He is watching and waiting for us to be humble and contrite and go to Him in Confession.
Next Saturday, here at OLM, we have All-Day Confessions from 9:00 am until 300pm with four priest confessors available all day. A great opportunity for every sinner to repent and be forgiven by God's mercy in the Sacrament of Confession.
This Sunday is March 19th, but it is the Fourth Sunday of Lent. So this year, the Solemnity of St. Joseph is transferred to Monday, March 20th. Our St. Joseph Day Mass celebration is at 12:05 pm Mass on Monday. Mass is celebrated in Italian, and a reception follows with Italian Coffee and delicious Zeppoles!
We welcome Bishop Henning as the celebrant and homilist of the St. Joseph Day Mass. While he is not of Italian heritage, he does speak Italian fluently. In Italy, St. Joseph's Day is celebrated as Father's Day, and Bishop Henning is our Spiritual Father, so it's a Feast Day for him! I hope you join us as we celebrate St. Joseph, our Italian heritage, and welcome Bishop Henning to our parish.
It’s still Lent, don’t give up! Be well. Stay safe. Do good. God Bless! Welcome to OLM, Bishop Henning! Buona Festa di San Giuseppe!