March 1, 2020, The 1st Sunday of Lent.
Dear Friends,
The holy season of Lent has begun in earnest. This is the great time of year when we accompany the catechumens seeking reception into full communion in the
Catholic Church. We are indeed blessed to have some wonderful men and women in the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) process this year, diligently pursuing the call of God to embrace our Catholic Faith. RCIA calls for prayer and participation of the entire parish community.
Lent is an intense period of preparation and involvement for the catechumens. The Ceremonial of Bishops speaks of the significance of the season of Lent in joining the parish community and the catechumens in this way: “The annual observance of Lent is the special season for the ascent to the holy mountain of Easter. Through its twofold theme of repentance and baptism, the season of Lent disposes both the catechumens and the faithful to celebrate the paschal mystery. Catechumens are led to the sacraments of initiation by means of the rite of election, the scrutinies, and catechesis. The faithful, listening more intently to the Word of God and devoting themselves to prayer, are prepared through a spirit of repentance to renew their baptismal promises.” Because celebration of the paschal mystery is central to our faith, we plan to include different aspects of the catechumenate process at all Masses. During these final days of their preparation leading up to the Easter Vigil, we’d like to celebrate our wonderful brothers and sisters in community until that day when they will join with us in dining together at the Eucharistic Banquet. Let us thank God for kindling in these, our brothers and sisters, a strong desire to follow him.
Both weekday and Sunday readings during the season of Lent “speak of beginning anew, of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving; of conversion; of mutual forgiveness; of hardness of heart; of love of enemies; of absolute claims of justice and love over ritual and cult; of the call to holiness, and so forth.” As we enter into the second half of Lent, we will focus on the Gospel of John where the evangelist will present to us the mystery of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, how belief in Him will bring eternal life. John presents Jesus as the healer, the one who gives life through his confrontation with death and gathers into one the scattered children of God.
In the book, “The Spirit of Lent,” Mark Searle tells us, “The purpose of Lent is to bring us to compunction. ‘Compunction’ is etymologically related to the verb ‘to puncture’ and suggests the deflation of our inflated egos, a challenge to any self-deceit about the quality of our lives as disciples of Jesus. By hitting us again and again with demands which we not only fail to obey, but which we come to recognize as being quiet beyond us, the Gospel passages are meant to trouble us, to confront our illusions about ourselves. ‘Remember, you are dust…’ From this perspective, Lenten penance may be more effective if we fail in our resolutions than if we succeed, for its purpose is not to confirm us in our sense of virtue but to bring home to us our radical need of salvation. … John presents Jesus as the Savior, but Jesus can only save those who know their need for salvation. Confronted with our sickness and powerlessness, we pray for our salvation.”
During Lent, our parish presents several opportunities to delve into the mystery of Jesus Christ and to draw closer to him. Hence, I urge you, please, do not miss any of these opportunities. We begin the season with our Lenten Mission which will be held from Monday through Wednesday (March 2nd and 4th), to include a Lenten Reconciliation service on Tuesday, March 3rd, at 7 p.m.
We heartily welcome Fr. Kevin MacDonald, C.Ss.R., (SCCR,) the presenter of our Lenten Mission this year. Fr. MacDonald is a Redemptorist priest from Woburn, Massachusetts. He entered the Redemptorist Missionary order after attending Boston College and playing seven years of professional baseball with the Pittsburgh Pirates organization and overseas in Holland and Australia. He is a member of the Boston College Hall of Fame. He was ordained to the priesthood in 1991 and has worked as a parish priest in Dominica, New York, Boston, St. Lucia, and the Virgin Islands. He is currently assigned to the Redemptorist Community in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.
May this Lent be a season of renewal of our faith in Jesus Christ!
With Love, Fr. John