Do we still “give things up” for Lent?
In our Tradition, prayer, fasting and giving our money to the poor are central Lenten activities. The purpose of all these practices – and any others we add in our personal lives – is to help us move more deeply into our life of Baptism and Eucharist, into Christ’s Paschal Mystery – dying to our own sinfulness and self-centeredness and rising to new life in Christ.
We fast and practice other disciplines, not as ends in themselves, but so that we can clear away the clutter of our lives and see what is really important and how much we need and hunger for God. We reach out to help others, not because Lent is a time for charity, but because that is what being joined to Christ is all about. We go into our spiritual deserts so that we may come face to face with the power of sin and death inside us, and to learn to rely on the love, power and mercy of God. We repent so that we may open ourselves to God’s love and mercy and, through God, change our lives. So the value of any Lenten activity can be judged by how well it helps us live our Baptism, by how it helps connect us to the Catholic community, the Body of Christ, and by how Christlike it helps us become. Some of our younger members might be able to do this by giving up gum. The rest of us probably will want to look a little deeper.
LENT: A Time of Soul-Searching
The Lenten season begins with Ash Wednesday, when the priest marks the foreheads of the faithful with ashes as a reminder that we are created from dust and to dust we shall return.
Lent is the season of soul-searching and repentance. It is a season for reflection and taking stock. A time we become closer to God, for spiritual renewal and for making small sacrifices as we follow Jesus on the way of the cross.
By observing the forty days of Lent, the individual Christian imitates Jesus’ withdrawal into the wilderness for forty days.
The colour used in the sanctuary for most of Lent is purple symbolizing both the pain and suffering leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus as well as the suffering of humanity and the world under sin. But purple is also the colour of royalty and so anticipates through the suffering and death of Jesus the coming resurrection and hope of newness that will be celebrated in the Resurrection on Easter Sunday.
Youth Group News
Flowers and Treats for Valentine’s Day
The Youth Group will be selling flowers and treats after each Mass on February 13th and 14th. They are also holding a raffle over the next three weekends.
The grand prize is a New Home Theater System. Tickets are 1 for $2.00 or 3 for $5.00.
Thank you for your continued support of our youth group.
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