The Holy Season
of Lent

The season of Lent is a spiritual journey toward Easter. During Lent, the Church invites us to enter intentionally into the traditional disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. These significant disciplines are not an end in themselves, but a means that lead us to true inner conversion and return to God with all our heart.

Pope Francis has offered insights into these Lenten practices:  He emphasized that prayer is the strength of the Christian and of every person who believes. In the weakness and frailty of our lives, we can turn to God with the confidence of children and enter into communion with him.

Fasting helps us to attune our hearts to the essentials and sharing. It is a sign of the trust we place in God and his providence.

Almsgiving helps us to experience giving freely, which leads to freedom from the obsession of possessing, from the fear of losing what we have, and from the sadness of one who does not wish to share his wealth with others.

Through the prophet Joel, God appeals to us: "Return to me with your whole heart,  with fasting, and weeping, and mourning;  Rend your hearts, not your garments,  and return to the LORD, your God.   For gracious and merciful is he, slow to anger, rich in kindness,  and relenting in punishment.”

Let us heed His compelling words and enter the Lenten journey with child-like confidence that God will create a new heart in us and prepare us for the celebration of Easter.  

May you have a blessed and grace-filled Lent.