Dear friends in Christ
Lent is almost upon us once again! On Wednesday the Church will extend the annual and ancient invitation to us: Repent and believe the Gospel! Over the next forty days of Lent we shall enter the spiritual battle using the weapons of prayer, penance and works of charity. One of the good and positive aspects of information technology is the huge array of good Catholic material available to feed and nourish our faith and piety. Choose and use these resources wisely, since not everything that purports to be Catholic is so. As a basic starting point, we should all be aiming to read from the Bible regularly; know the basic content of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; keep up-to-date with the Magisterium (teaching authority) of the Church; and be abreast of Catholic news as furnished by such reliable sources as Vatican News Service, EWTN and Aleteia.
When it comes to the area of penance—there are many more things we can sacrifice than wine and chocolate! We could examine how much time we spend on social media and reduce it; how do we keep guard over what we say—gossiping; try to see someone who is lonely; give time to others; keep our homes/rooms in a orderly way. In matters of charity and almsgiving, we don't need to look very far to realise that we can give easily to those who are suffering right now: in Ukraine and as a result of the recent earthquake. Details can be found in this Newsletter of how to donate through Catholic Aid Agencies.
As Lent comes around again, we have the opportunity to become a new person—this is the meaning of Lent—that we enter a new springtime for our soul. We can live these days ahead of us like any other time, or we can choose to let these waters of Lent renew and refresh us. Even if we feel we may fail by the second day, we can begin again and again! We listen again to the words of the Prophet read on Ash Wednesday: Now, now it is the Lord who speaks—come back to me with all your heart, fasting, weeping, mourning.
May God bless you and give us all perseverance in following Him in this Lenten season.
Msgr Kevin Hale