From the Desk of Fr. Ken,

 

            Well, this is the last Sunday you’ll see me wearing green vestments for a while.  In fact, the next Sunday that I’ll wear green vestments will be on Sunday June 25, which technically will be summer.  By then there will be lots of green all around us, as we come out of winter and into the explosion of life and color and fragrances that is spring.          Spring also means the celebration of the Paschal Mystery.  The saving work of our redemption and the perfect glorification of God accomplished by Jesus in which by dying he has destroyed our death, and by rising has restored our life.   The celebration of the Paschal Triduum (Holy Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil) are the high point of the entire liturgical year.  Certainly something to look forward to!

 

            Before we celebrate we need to prepare.  And we begin our Lenten journey of preparation this Wednesday.  At its most fundamental level Lent is a special period of time to reflect on the question “do I truly belong to Christ?”  Not just do I believe in him, but do I truly belong to him in all aspects of my life?  Do the everyday choices I make in how I live my life and interact with others truly reflect someone who belongs to Christ, the way He belongs to his Father?  Do I truly love God and my neighbor with every fiber of my being, or are there some other things that I love more and that keep me from fully belonging to Christ?

 

            Jesus is inviting each of us to walk with him to Jerusalem for the next 40 days and in doing so to have this conversation with him.  And if there are some things in my life that are preventing me from belonging totally and completely to Jesus in the way I that I think, act, and relate to God and others, then this is the time to identify them, confess them, let Jesus heal them, and then let them go forever so that we can share in the explosion of life that is the Resurrection of our Lord on that amazing Easter morning.  Lent is a time of great hope; it is gift from God.  A chance to come away with Jesus amid the distractions of life.  Accept His invitation, take the time, walk with Him, He will not disappoint.

 

            May your Lenten journey be filled with the abundant grace of God’s mercy, healing, love, and hope.

           

            Faithfully yours in Christ,