Dear friends in Christ

This half-way Sunday of Lent bids us be joyful as we consider Jesus approaching Jerusalem where He will be lifted-up on the Cross. Why does the Church sing Rejoice, O Jerusalem on this particular Sunday? It is because we are supposed to see everything to do with Christ’s suffering, and our participation in it, as something life-giving and therefore joyful. It has been said by the Saints that the Christian vocation has its roots in the form of the Cross. This is because we can never follow Christ and expect a comfortable, care-free existence. The particular penances and mortifications of this sacred season are themselves reminders that by voluntarily taking upon ourselves self-denial, we can identify with Christ in His own self-offering for our sins.

Please continue to pray for those who are preparing for the Sacraments this Easter; it is an exciting time for them and their families as they undergo the last part of their spiritual training for the moment when they will encounter Jesus personally in the Church through His Sacraments. May God bless us all in our efforts to live these last weeks of Lent in a spirit of joyful union with Christ in his Passion. God bless you!

fr Kevin Hale